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

The upcoming European Council meeting will discuss, among other issues and items on the agenda, the ongoing war in Ukraine and energy prices. We know the energy price crisis here is ongoing despite the recalibrated temporary business energy support scheme, TBESS. I also know from replies to parliamentary questions I submitted to the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, that the recently announced €350 million cost of purchasing temporary generation turbines will add approximately €40 to the average domestic bill over the next billing year. This is a direct result of the lack of forward planning and, indeed, forward thinking by Government, and the reckless ruling out of indigenous energy resources such as oil and gas exploration and liquified natural gas, LNG terminals. We have backed ourselves into a corner. It is, however, in keeping with EU policy of forcing through a greater reliance on renewables.

As the Minister of State will know, the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine recently recommended that it should be a target of Government to ensure that every appropriate farm building has solar panels installed in support of our 2030 emission reduction targets. Farmers should be incentivised to do this because so far it seems to be just punishment all the time. The committee also recommends that the Departments of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Environment, Climate and Communications enter into dialogue with electricity companies and financial institutions with a view to identifying whether a scheme can be devised whereby all of the up-front costs of installing solar photovoltaic, PV, on farm buildings can be offset.

The committee also recommends that the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage proceed as a matter of urgency regarding proposals to exempt solar panels on farm buildings from requiring planning permission with a view to enacting an exemption without delay. This should be done. If Ireland wants to play its part in implementing EU energy policy, initiatives such as these will have to be adopted. Farmers need to be supported and incentivised instead of being dictated to and punished every day of the week through the green policies that are coming down the tracks. I ask that these issues be considered at the European Council meeting.

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