Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Rural Independent Group asked for the opening of oil and gas exploration, against which the Minister of State voted here in this House, until we have an alternative. Central Statistics Office figures show that the data centres used 14% of our metered electricity last year, now rising to 30%. The European Commission in 2020 put data centres as using 2.7%. We are at 14% and we are heading to 30%. Where is our energy security? We must produce our own energy, otherwise we will continue to import all our energy needs. Put into the mix our current relations with the UK and the war in Ukraine. Is that our energy security? Many reports were leaked over the weekend warning that we will run out of electricity in the next five winters. That is not that far away. The Government is going to run out of road by the time the next election comes.

I had a stall at an agricultural show for the first time in Charleville in County Cork, just my neighbouring parish. Some 99% of the vehicles with the cattle and all the produce that came to this agricultural show were petrol and diesel vehicles. They have no alternative and if they had, they could not afford it. What does the Government do? It bans peat harvesting and extraction of energy sources. Where is its plan for alternatives? Lots of talk but no action; there is no surprise there.

Ireland is an island surrounded by water yet there is no mention of tidal energy or wave energy resulting in cheap hydro-energy. Is there any update on the hydroelectricity? Gas generates 46% of Ireland's total electricity needs. Wind generated between 30% and 40%. In 2021, because the wind did not blow, it only generated 29% of Ireland's electricity. We are totally dependent on gas to supply our electricity. The Rural Independents Group is the only Opposition grouping that has been constant since the very start of this Thirty-third Dáil and before in our views of having fuel for the country until we have an alternative. We are 0.001 on emissions. The Government is going across the whole world and ships are coming in every day with fossil fuels when we have a natural resource off the coast of Ireland which would take out all the global shipping costs. It has been mentioned before. It is the same skies. Again, with horticulture it is saying there is no alternative to imports. Let us close down Bord na Móna. Let us close down everything. It goes back to what I stated at the very start. The Cabinet is city based and has no experience outside the city. Ministers seem to think they can walk to a shop and the stuff just appears there. My God, it is magic. They have no concept of how this country runs.

As I said, I was at the agricultural show. It took me a day to recover with the amount of people who came to me, not only the elderly but young people saying they could not afford their apprenticeships. These are the trades we want to encourage to rebuild Ireland. They said with the cost of living they cannot afford it. The Government is so out of touch with reality. We should protect what we have now, have alternatives and then create change. No, they want to create change with no alternatives. The alternative will be a different Government come the next election.

See this speech in context