Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Regional Group on bringing forward this motion and I hope that its members will accept the Sinn Féin amendment.

Ireland relies heavily on imported energy today. Once we use up the fuel in the Corrib gas field, we will be nearly completely reliant on gas we import via the gas pipelines from the UK. We have seen what can happen when Russia decides to limit the amount of gas it wants Europe to have. Ireland has a solution to energy security right now. We have all seen the energy of the wind during Storm Barra. Not only could Ireland's offshore wind give us a secure source of energy but it is sustainable and renewable and is our own natural resource. Ireland has more than 70 GW worth of offshore wind. That is more than enough to provide us with all the electricity we need today and into the future. We could use the extra electricity to separate hydrogen from oxygen and water and give us energy that could be stored and transported, complement renewable electricity and stop us relying on fossil fuel pipelines from the UK. Not only that, but we could help Europe to become the first climate-neutral continent by exporting green energy and give our citizens a source of income for decades to come.

This can be helped by a hydrogen strategy for Ireland and a clear statement on how we will use our incredible natural resources for the benefit not only of our citizens but of our planet. While it is welcome to see the progress of the Maritime Area Planning Bill it will take time before the new implementation body, the maritime area regulatory authority, is up and running. We need to keep our eye on the ball. We need to support the existing systems right now. We need to make sure the permits and licences needed for offshore wind development surveys are progressed now. This means we need to resource existing teams such as the foreshore unit, even if it is going to be reorganised in future. Recently, we saw the Norwegian energy company, Equinor, leaving Ireland, calling out the slow pace of regulation here. We need to learn from this and send a clear signal that when it comes to wind energy Ireland is open for business.

We must also involve our fishing industry and protect the livelihoods of fishers and the sustainability of the industry. We have this natural resource, we own this natural resource and we should use this natural resource.

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