Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I agree with much of what Deputy Pringle stated about meeting our energy demands. Have we done so? Did we import energy in the relevant timeframe? We need to be realistic. We are building an interconnector with France. Are we going to say that we could not countenance producing nuclear energy in Ireland but we have no problem importing it from France or even Sellafield?

We have energy needs. I remember a constituent giving out to me about a wind power station. They thought wind power was terrible and Moneypoint was awful. I asked what was the first thing they did each morning and they said it was to turn on the light. I asked from where they thought the energy for that came. We need to get energy from somewhere. I completely support the usage of renewable energy, but we cannot rely on it for 100% of our energy. It is not realistic to do so.

Deputy O'Donoghue referred to farming and I agree with much of what he stated in that regard. Farmers are very realistic people. They are probably the first to grasp change in Ireland. Many County Clare farmers to whom I have spoken this year accept that there is climate change. They can see it, but they do not know what is causing it. There is some disagreement on how it is caused. I accept that it is caused by human behaviour but there are others who do not accept that. The vast majority of farmers looking at climate patterns now say there is climate change and we need to be able to adapt to that change.

With regard to Moneypoint and offshore, nothing has been done to replace coal. For a long time we knew that Moneypoint was going to close, and it has closed, but nothing has been brought on line to replace it.

Farmers can produce energy and they do so right across Europe in terms of solar panels and taking methane out and feeding electricity back into the national grid, and it is not just farmers as many private enterprises can do that. Up to now, there has been no facility to do this and it needs to change so we can all be energy suppliers as well as energy users.

See this speech in context