Johnny Mythen (Wexford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Members for bringing forward this motion. It raises some sobering points around energy security, an issue that ordinary working families are dealing with at present. Every day, we hear of people who are choosing to miss meals in order to put fuel in their vehicles to go to work or to turn on heating in their homes.

The cost-of-living crisis has become embedded in our daily lives, causing real hardship for working families. Ireland’s energy and food security are intertwined and must be prioritised. The Government’s failure to act swiftly and decisively will have serious consequences for this and future generations.

The extraction of fossil fuels is causing a major imbalance in our human environment and ecosystems. Climate change is irrefutably a threat to the future of our planet and we have little time to spare. Harnessing renewable energy is the best solution. We cannot waste one more day. Planning procedures need to be superseded and major funding in infrastructure must be provided if the Government is serious about having a reliable green energy supply.

Rosslare Europort has recently set out its ambition to become Ireland’s offshore renewable energy hub. It is ideally positioned to serve the many offshore wind developments planned in the Irish and Celtic seas, the majority of which are located within 100 nautical miles of Rosslare. The port already has an ambitious master plan in place and several planned road developments would enhance its bid to become a renewable energy hub. This development will require significant investment and I understand an application has been submitted to secure European funding for it. I ask the Minister of State to support the development of Rosslare Europort as the nation’s renewable energy hub and to assist and invest in this project which would benefit the whole country well into the future in providing energy and food security for all. The investment would also deliver approximately 2,000 desperately needed jobs in Rosslare.

Energy and food security are becoming a real threat to Ireland and we already see the consequences. The Government must act now on opportunities to secure safe, affordable and secure energy for the people of Ireland. One immediate action it could take would be in respect of the planning laws for solar panels on schools and farm sheds, for example.

See this speech in context