Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after “That” and substitute the following: "Dáil Éireann resolves that, in light of the ongoing consultation of interested stakeholders on the preparation of a hydrogen strategy, the response period for which will close in eight weeks' time, the Green Hydrogen Strategy Bill 2022 be deemed to be read a second time this day six months, to allow for the development and implementation of the hydrogen strategy for Ireland, and for that then to be taken into account in the further consideration of this Bill.".

I fully agree with objectives of this Bill, which are that the State should realise the full potential of green hydrogen in decarbonising our economy and energy system, that there is a need for a national hydrogen strategy and that there should be a comprehensive consultation with stakeholders. I am also grateful for the engagement of Deputies on this issue. My Department and I have considered their suggestions with great care. Therefore, while I acknowledge the intention of this Bill, it is not required. The Government has already committed to prioritising the development of a hydrogen strategy in the national energy security framework.

I will now outline the important work that has been undertaken to fulfil this commitment. It is important to note that work on developing and delivering a hydrogen strategy for Ireland is already under way. I mentioned that the Government has committed to prioritising the development of a hydrogen strategy in the national energy security framework. This framework was developed to address the challenges of ensuring the ongoing and long-term security of affordable energy supply. It sets out a number of measures to accelerate the investment in renewables planned in the climate action plan. This includes a hydrogen strategy for Ireland as a key priority.

Green hydrogen, which is hydrogen produced from renewable sources, has been identified in the climate action plan as having the potential to support decarbonisation across several sectors including heavy goods transport, high-temperature heat for industry and electricity generation. It is intended that the hydrogen strategy will expand on the role of hydrogen in Ireland's energy system and the actions needed for its development. In addition, work is under way on the review of the security of supply of Ireland’s electricity and natural gas systems. It will be done in parallel with the development of the hydrogen strategy to ensure that long-term security needs take future hydrogen technologies into account.

As an essential part of the work of preparing the hydrogen strategy, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications recently launched a consultation seeking the views of stakeholders and interested parties to inform the development of the strategy. A comprehensive consultation paper has been developed setting out various areas of interest to be considered in the development of the hydrogen strategy and inviting stakeholders' views on an extensive range of specific questions to be answered in this regard. There is an eight-week period for the consultation, which will mean that the detailed work on analysis of the various submissions will begin in early September. It is anticipated that the submissions received will be extensive, given the high degree of public interest in this topic and its importance both for Ireland's future energy security and its high export potential. The aim is to have the strategy in place later in the year.

While I fully agree with the objectives of this Bill, I must stress that it is seeking to address an issue, the hydrogen strategy, which the Government has already committed to prioritising in the national energy security framework, and that strong progress has already been made. Therefore, it is appropriate for further consideration to be deferred until such time as the consultation has been completed, analysis of the replies has been undertaken and the hydrogen strategy has been published.

See this speech in context