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

The written response I have is in answer to the Deputy's written question. If she would prefer, I will focus on the specific issue she has just raised orally. I have been involved with energy policy for approximately 20 years in this House.

At various stages down through the years I have said that one should always look at all options in respect of nuclear power. I do not believe we will turn to nuclear because it is too expensive, as we have a more competitive comparative advantage with regard to our own renewable power supplies. One should never rule out options, however, as choices are always made on best energy solutions, together with the economic and environmental benefits.

Similarly, with regard to gas and liquefied natural gas, LNG, I have made my position clear over the years. We have to avoid the risk of having stranded assets. The investment, the new future, particularly in the gas sector, I see as coming in the conversion of that renewable power that we have into hydrogen supplies. Those will be the investments into the future.

Over the years we have made some very specific decisions which I believe are the correct ones and which include not proceeding with fracked gas in our country or with oil and gas exploration because of that risk of stranded assets and the climate imperative of switching away from such fossil fuels.

I reiterate what I have been saying over the years which is that we never rule out any options. One always looks at what is strategically best for the country and our people, and considers all options, but I will obviously inform the policy process with my own views.

There is an issue around gas storage in Europe at the present time and the war has changed everything. I have been talking to the Deputy’s colleagues, Deputy Boyd Barrett and others, who are saying that this crisis has not been caused by the war but I believe that it has been, particularly the energy crisis aspect of it. What we have seen over the past year is that Russia has been scaling back its export of gas and increasing its own storage. We have a situation now where Europe is very low on gas storage and Russian gas storage is very high. We have to look at all options within that European framework.

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