Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Regional Group for bringing forward this comprehensive motion. It allows us an opportunity to talk about the crucial issue of energy security. It is important to get into the weeds on this issue and to pick apart the details. I say this because, in many respects, the Government has tried as much as possible to confuse the situation and to wrap it up in the context of events in Ukraine, internationally or in the EU. I refer to the truth of all this, though, particularly concerning energy security and the risk of blackouts. We heard the regulator speaking on the radio this morning and again confirming that it cannot be guaranteed there will not be blackouts this winter. This is a direct result of policy failure by successive Governments. It is entirely in the gift of the Government and it is also an essential responsibility to ensure that we have energy security.

There was a complete mismanagement of supply and demand. The red carpet was rolled out for data centres even as electricity demand increased year-on-year. There was a 12% increase over five years. My county and others saw an enormous roll-out of these data centres. This was one aspect of the situation. Another aspect, however, is that to have done this at a time when the Government was also failing to deliver capacity on the supply side was reckless and dangerous. It puts lives and livelihoods at risk. This is an incredible failure of policy and of the business of Government.

At the request of Sinn Féin, representatives of the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, and EirGrid appeared before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action in recent weeks to discuss this subject. That was because over the summer recess people were reading on the front pages of their newspapers about leaked reports and details in reports of disaster planning scenarios that put the fear of God in them, to be honest. It was confirmed by the representatives of EirGrid that we are at a heightened risk of experiencing blackouts this winter. The Minister outlined some of the emergency measures being put in place to try to address this potentiality. There is a question mark over every one of those measures in respect of the existing back-up capacity and the ability of those batteries, optimised or otherwise. Therefore, there is risk and it is significant in this regard. This is something that can be laid entirely at the door of the Minister.

Something else that did not get much attention because it was technical legislation was the EirGrid, Electricity and Turf (Amendment) Act 2022 that was rushed through in an emergency manner just before the Dáil rose for the summer recess. In real terms, that was a rewriting of the rule book in respect of the procurement of back-up generation. It was a damning indictment of the CRU, EirGrid, the Department and the Minister and the capacity to deliver essential electricity supply. It came years after red flags had been raised and alarm bells sounded in this regard. We failed to deliver capacity for the winters of 2021 and 2022. As far as I can see, the regulator and the transmission operator were standing looking at each other, bickering and pointing the finger at each other. It is the responsibility of the Government and the Minister of the day to ensure that these systems operate and that these agencies and regulators are operating to a standard. All this falls back on a failure of Government policy.

We also see this in the context of the delivery of supply and the planning system, which is completely unfit for purpose. We have targets for 2030, and they have been increased. Every time the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, has to launch a document, I believe he wants to be able to say we are increasing our ambition in the area of renewables.

They fail to meet any one of those targets. That is what will continue to happen unless the Government invests in the planning and regulatory system. If one looks at An Bord Pleanála, and I spoke about it earlier, the applications that go in have a target timeline of 18 weeks but it is turning around decisions on planning appeals in 60 weeks. On strategic infrastructure development, SID, applications, the target time is 18 weeks but it is turning around decisions in 69 weeks. The system is completely broken. Those decisions that are delayed today will have an impact in winter 2027, winter 2028 and winter 2029. Will we still be wondering about blackouts in those years as well because of a failure of Government to deliver on its obligations?

It has been mentioned repeatedly in relation to microgeneration of solar. It is incredible. There are communities, whether it be the GAA, community centres or businesses, putting their hands up in the middle of an energy crisis to install solar photovoltaic, PV, and they have hurdle after hurdle put in front of them. I want to bring to the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth's attention a particular problem at this point in time, among all the other ones, with the better energy community scheme, and ask that he take a note of it. I have been on to the Department, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, and the Minister about it. There are a number of applications in to be assessed and as far as I can gather from listening to applicants, the goalposts are being shifted and the promise of updated regulations and updated exemptions in terms of planning puts a number of really important applications in jeopardy. It is something that needs to be reviewed.

Central to this debate in terms of energy security is the approach that successive Governments have taken in relation to the energy system. I look back to the 1916 Proclamation and at the ownership of our natural resources and the use of them for the people of Ireland. Successive Governments, largely Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments, have sold them off, often not even to the highest bidder. We look at the profits of the owner of the Corrib Gas Field. I stood at Corrib gas, with others and with the local community at that time. If one looks at the profits of Vermilion, it reported 267% increased profits last year. This year, it is reporting a 28% increase in profits. These are spectacular numbers. Those who will get the benefit of that are the company's shareholders, not, as it should be, the people of Ireland. That is all on the shoulders of successive Governments.

See this speech in context