Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The impact of wind energy on energy prices is clear. We see that this month with the wholesale energy cost rising to €181 per MWh but going down to as low as €90 per MWh when the wind is at its strongest and up to €232 per MWh when there was no wind. Some 30% of Ireland's electricity up to June of this year has been created by wind - up 6% on last year. However, it is not enough, either from a climate perspective or an energy security perspective. I have heard the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, talk about the benefit of energy security and the wind opportunity on at least two occasions today, particularly offshore wind energy and the floating wind energy that is possible, but there is not enough visibly in relation to it. The grid is not strong enough at this point to be able to accommodate either our additional ambition or our need. It is not clear that we have the capacity to rapidly progress grid offers as they come in. We were supposed to have offshore auctions. I accept Covid happened but we were supposed to have them in 2021. There were supposed to be three this year. There may be two later this year. I am not sure we are seeing delivery from the Department that gives the grid the capacity to be able to capture the energy available to us, which the Minister spoke about today.

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