Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

A perfect storm has blown up around the crisis in the price of oil. We are told diesel could go to €2.25 a litre and petrol to €2.40. Given the Russian situation, what alternatives are there if anything happens to that supply of Russian gas? How many days worth of oil are stored in this country? Will the Government reconsider the closure of the peat plants in the midlands, and reconsider the liquified natural gas, LNG, plant, for instance, that would provide an alternative to the gas line that is coming in? The Government needs to look at other areas because we cannot just blindfoldedly sleepwalk into this crisis. People have to try to live and businesses have to thrive. It is a perfect storm, as the Taoiseach is aware. We can talk about sanctions on Russia, but if it stops the supply of oil, where are we? What stores do we have? Will the Government consider these alternatives, which makes a lot of sense? Will it reopen those stations and have them viable and working?

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