Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to speak for the Labour Party in support of the motion. I commend the Regional Group on tabling it and I am glad the Government is accepting it. It is important that we have cross-party support on this important issue of the development of offshore renewables. All Members are conscious that Ireland is facing three specific crises in the context of energy and energy supply, the first of which is the rising cost of energy bills. All present are conscious that the average household is facing significantly increased costs as all 14 energy suppliers have increased prices at least once this year and in September the Commission for Regulation of Utilities warned there will be higher charges due to record demand and reduced supply. We have real concerns regarding fuel poverty for many households in winter. Second, there is a concern and crisis building in respect of security and certainty in energy supply. In response to a parliamentary question tabled by my colleague, Deputy Sherlock, in recent weeks, we learned that there have been seven amber systems alerts in the past 12 months. The third, and most existential, crisis is the urgent need to decarbonise energy and avoid a devastating rise in global temperatures due to the climate emergency in the next decade and beyond.

We know that in order to address these crises we need to develop significantly our capacity for offshore wind generation. All Members will have seen the report of Wind Energy Ireland - I am grateful to it for supplying the briefing - setting out its concerns that we are not currently on track to reach our renewable energy targets through offshore wind generation. We know that by 2030 we must increase our generation of electricity from renewable sources from 30% to at least 70% or 80% and bring about a 30% reduction in CO2 emissions and a 32.5% improvement in energy efficiency. All Members are conscious that a robust, fair and transparent framework for offshore renewables must form part of this puzzle. Indeed, we need to see greatly enhanced grid capacity. Wind Energy Ireland states that we need a stronger grid and to develop further our delivery of onshore wind capacity in order to meet renewable targets.

However, we still lack the detailed annexe and timeline that was promised when the climate action plan was published several weeks ago. I and my party welcomed the ambitious but necessary targets in the climate action plan. We want to work constructively to ensure those targets are reached but we are concerned that without that detailed annexe, we simply do not have the necessary level of information to see how we are going to reach those targets and what are the steps to be taken in the next few months, the next year and the next decade to reach those targets.

I note the Climate Change Advisory Council today published a very critical review of the approach of the Government to reaching those targets, with Marie Donnelly pointing out a time lag in implementation, gaps between ambition and practical implementation and, in particular, referring to the absence of publication of that detailed annexe and timeline that I have previously asked about in the House. I have asked the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, who is present, about it, as well as the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan. We really need to see that detail.

The situation is the same in the context of offshore wind capacity. Anyone who had the pleasure of flying into Copenhagen airport pre-Covid will have seen the mass of offshore wind turbines there. It is no surprise that Denmark is leading the way on offshore renewables. Ireland does not yet have anything like that capacity or infrastructure or the investment necessary to develop that infrastructure to increase our offshore wind generation in the way we need.

We know that demand for electricity will increase as we increasingly electrify transport and all our other amenities, so we need to move much more urgently on offshore wind. We are having this debate not only in the context of the critical review from the Climate Change Advisory Council, but also the repeated warnings from Mark Foley, chief executive of EirGrid, regarding the challenges in meeting our targets and, of course, the announcement of the withdrawal of Equinor from Ireland in recent weeks. Although all present know the establishment of the maritime area regulatory authority, MARA, will be a significant step in the creation of a better planning and infrastructure building system for offshore development, we need to see more urgency. I was glad to hear the Minister, Deputy Ryan, outlining a timeline for establishing the option processes for renewables and I note that he stated he hopes the first option will take place in the final quarter of next year, but we need to see much more urgency on all of these developments. Other speakers have referred to the Ardnacrusha scheme and the significant ambition and dynamism in respect of the construction of that hydroelectric scheme approximately 100 years ago. This month, we are marking the centenary of the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, but we should also be marking and celebrating the development of Ardnacrusha and channelling that focus and energy into building very quickly the green energy infrastructure we need, including offshore wind energy infrastructure. The motion before the House sets out some very important points on how we can do that.

I refer to the need to focus on other renewables. The motion addresses that issue too. I have tabled parliamentary questions on the issue of green hydrogen, seeking to explore precisely what initiatives we can take in Ireland to ensure the roll-out of green hydrogen in a way that is cost-effective, being cognisant that cost of production is currently a significant obstacle to this going forward. I understand the issue is to be discussed at the European Council of energy ministers later this month. I hope the Government will be proactive in promoting this alternative and I look forward to getting an update after that meeting has taken place.

On the issue of solar, I, like many other Deputies, have received many queries from constituents in Dublin Bay South requesting an update on the Government's microgeneration scheme and the potential for installing solar panels. These queries are from individuals, households, schools, sports clubs and others that are keen to do this. We are seeing significant public buy-in on this, just as we are seeing significant public buy-in on moving to electric vehicles, EVs. However, in this case, too, the infrastructure is not in place. It is really difficult to get publicly accessible EV charging facilities. We are still awaiting Dublin City Council's plan on this. It is very frustrating when I am being asked why we cannot simply have more public access EV chargers. The situation is similar for those seeking to install solar panels. I have tabled parliamentary questions on why we have not seen new regulations and exemptions for schools seeking to install such panels, for example. I am glad to hear these new regulations are due for publication early next year but people are keen to move now on this microgeneration, which has significant potential for community buy-in.

As regards energy storage, in October I asked the Minister, Deputy Ryan, his position in respect of the storage of electricity generated from renewables. I am glad to see the programme for Government contains a commitment to incentivise electricity storage. It is mentioned in the climate action plan but, again, we need more detail.

Finally, I refer to the biodiversity emergency we are facing. We must be conscious that when we are developing offshore infrastructure, we are not doing so at a cost to marine biodiversity. Yesterday in the House I launched the Dublin Bay Bill, which would provide for a new statutory authority to promote and enhance environmental protection in Dublin Bay. That initiative is crucial in the context of rolling out offshore wind energy generation and anticipating the forthcoming policy statement on port infrastructure necessary to develop offshore wind capacity.

The Labour Party welcomes the motion and the opportunity to debate this very important issue, but we are anxiously awaiting and seeking much more urgent and detailed implementation plans from the Government on offshore wind generation and all these other necessary measures to reach our climate targets.

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