Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the Deputy's remarks. It is a comprehensive body of work two years in the making. He is right. A significant amount of attention has been drawn to one of the 28 actions, namely, the creation of a strategic gas emergency reserve. I think we are in agreement that it should be State-led. It is strategic. We have to avoid anything that would promote the use of new additional gas that would breach our climate limits. We have to prepare for a world where our gas use is reduced. There is still this interim period where it provides balancing capability with renewables. We have to avoid the damage that would be done to the country if there was a change as a result of a low-risk but high-impact eventuality. We looked at onshore and the Kinsale gas field and took account of a variety of reasons. They would be much more expensive and would not provide the same level of security and risks. In the case of the former option in particular, it would leave a legacy stranded fossil fuel asset. The advantage of the temporary facility is that it can be withdrawn. I expect we will use the Kinsale gas field in future but probably for hydrogen. That is a more medium-term investment decision.

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