Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The ESB was required to put that advert in as a condition of a planning permission and it has to operate within the law. Yes, we should be open to alternative uses. The reality with the plant itself is the question of what other applications or uses there are for a plant which was very specifically designed, built and has been operated for 18 years for one use. How that very specific infrastructure can be repurposed or reconditioned for another use is not something I have a clear example of elsewhere. However the sites have, as I said, other characteristics, including grid connection and if a use can be found, be it for the boiler or the other equipment on the site, which could be part of a new energy hub, then we should certainly look at that. We should not restrict the options though, because applications other than the reintroduction of the exact same power plants are far more likely. It will have to be something which provides a much more secure long-term future. Investing in something which is not going to be viable or does not make best use of the sites would not serve the local community.

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