Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

This debate should be accurately referred to as "Statements on Energy Security". We have a serious crisis, which is concerning to families and businesses throughout the State that are already grappling with the costs of their electricity. Many small businesses have closed their doors. They have given up because they have been unable to meet the costs of electricity and utility bills. Only last week, I heard of one business in Portarlington, County Laois, a fish-and-chip shop that has been operating in the town for many years, which reluctantly closed its doors because of this situation. It is very serious and will have a detrimental effect on the local and national economies. It will destroy businesses and cripple ordinary families throughout the State. Something needs to be done.

Has the Minister intervened with any of the electricity companies and, if so, will he brief us on that? It is my understanding that this is part of his remit. In other countries, ministers have been proactive in intervening directly with electricity companies. It is galling for businesses and families in this State to hear the ESB made profits of €390 million in the first six months of this year, while families grapple to put food on the table and must decide between fuel or food. That is wrong on every level. Action, not fine words, is needed from the Minister. I call on him to do just that.

The situation we face is very concerning. I am one of only a few Deputies in this House who have attempted regularly to bring the Government and the general political conversation on energy back to reality and away from the hyper-utopian vision that has characterised the debate in recent years. What are we to make of all of this talk about how wonderful the budget was because it marginally increased the fuel allowance? That should have been done years ago. I know many people, particularly pensioners, who were struggling and did not meet the threshold. The Government does not deserve a pat on the back for this measure. It should have been done years ago but the Government dragged its heels. Its decision to finally marginally increase the fuel allowance is certainly not something that deserves fanfare or applause.

As the Minister well knows, we are in this situation because the Government has opted to maintain its pursuit of a reckless and nonsensical net zero carbon strategy. This strategy is not only reckless, but obscenely expensive. We can talk now about rising costs as a result of international factors and how this is all the fault of Mr. Putin, which I accept to a certain degree. However, it was not Mr. Putin who closed our power plants.

It was extreme green ideology. Two power plants are closed and I am asking for them to be reopened. One is in Shannonbridge and the other is in Lanesborough. These plants could be fuelled on biomass. Farmers could be incentivised to grow biomass. This would be practical, but I suppose it is too realistic for the Minister. He tends to go with the reckless options all of the time that pose difficulties and challenges for families and businesses throughout the State. They are impeding progress and setting us back instead of moving us forward as a country. The Minister is creating obstacles and setting us back.

Let us be clear. When it comes to comes to costs being imposed on Irish families in the realm of energy and its related carbon reduction policies, nothing can compete with the estimated cost of the low carbon development Bill passed by the majority of the House. I along with only nine other Deputies opposed the Bill. At that time I highlighted that the IMF had estimated the cost of implementing the policies in the legislation to be a staggering €180 billion at a minimum. How does the Minister explain this to the families and businesses that are struggling today? How does he justify it? I would love to know how he justifies the €180 billion cost of his legislation and his crazy ideas. Where were all Deputies who now complain about energy security? When the Bill came before us they were nowhere to be seen. We warned about the dangers of ruling out viable alternatives such as LNG, oil or gas exploration.

The majority of Members of the House have chosen to support and pursue an exclusionary energy policy the has made our fragile energy security even weaker than it already was. There is an urgent need for reality to break through in the debates we are having with pragmatism, common sense and reality. We cannot persist in denying the exploration of indigenous resources. We cannot leave two power plants in Lanesborough and Shannonbridge closed when we face such energy insecurity. Ireland needs to be self-sufficient when it comes to energy. Now more than ever the Minister needs to take this on board.

It is absolutely ironic that while we have little or no storage capacity in the State, we have endless stores of detached and deluded political rhetoric. This is one thing there seems to be no shortage of. We need to change course immediately. We need energy security. We need to make sure that Ireland is energy sufficient when it comes to this issue and that we are not left in a state of crisis because we are already entering such a state.

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