Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to discuss the growing disconnect between the Government's stated aspirations on energy and the reality on the ground. This week, the Government is asking the Dáil to vote for the provision of emergency generators that will run on liquefied petroleum gas, LPG, and, crucially, will also have the capacity to run on green hydrogen, if and when it becomes available. One of the Government's first acts was to announce an exploration ban on the extraction of oil or gas in Irish waters. I am told there are people in the energy sector who wish to explore for gas, particularly off the west coast, where there is infrastructure. The crucial difference between the gas coming in from the west of Ireland and LPG is that the carbon footprint of LPG is far higher because not alone do we burn it, there is also the energy used to transport it here. The Taoiseach could not have predicted the energy crisis when the Government announced the ban on exploration. Will he revisit it in light of what we know now?

One of the rationales posited for the ban at the time was that by keeping fossil fuels in the ground, we will incentivise the use of sustainable alternatives, but that did not happen. The European Commission has said Ireland and Denmark are the two countries most suitable for the production of biomethane. Denmark now meets one quarter of its gas needs by way of biomethane and it is saying it will meet 100% of its needs in this way by 2034. We do not produce any biomethane of any significance. An EU scheme was announced whereby billions of euro were made available for countries to develop their biomethane sectors to meet the energy crisis. When I asked the Taoiseach about this before, he said I would get a direct reply from the Minister. Only after I asked the latter about it did I find out we did not even apply for that scheme. Italy is getting almost €5 billion to develop its biomethane sector.

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