Dáil debates

Thursday, 21 September 2023

Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Cap on Market Revenues) Bill 2023: Second Stage

 

Deputy Jennifer Whitmore: We welcome this Bill and the opportunity to have a debate on it today. What we have seen over the past couple of years is the impact and huge community and societal cost to the prices we have seen. there have been record energy prices for consumers, record levels of energy povery record levels of disocnnections. At the same time, as that was happening and that incredible impact on our communities and individuals, there have also been record profits for energy companioes. That is a clear illustration that the energy market is not robust enough to deal with external shocks, such as Ukraine. It is not just Ukraine that is causing these record issues for peope; therea re many other factors and ones that are within our ability to pre-empt or try to mitigate against. We have a very insecure energy system and it is quite isolated from the rest of Europe and beacuse of that, we may need to look at it with a differene lens than would be applied to the more standard markets across Europe or the energy systems.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.