Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for raising the issue. It a private sector project, not a Government one. The advice is that it could be useful for Ireland when it comes to future energy security. Recognising that we will continue to use natural gas for decades ahead, we are reliant on imported gas through the pipeline with the United Kingdom and gas from the Corrib field. Gas from the Corrib field will soon run out. That will leave us with the pipeline from the United Kingdom as our only source of supply. If it were ever to be cut off, we would be in serious trouble almost immediately and faced with brown-outs and black-outs.

See this speech in context