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

I will not read the prepared written response because it is similar to the answer I gave to the first question. All these questions relate to a similar issue.

I do not see any implications other than for a potential project. In Ireland's case a non-commercial temporary strategic storage facility would go through the strategic infrastructure process rather than to the local authority. That is a fairly standard process and procedure. The only reason for the amendment is to make sure that it is legally sound in any such development. There is nothing more to it than that. Particularly with a facility that is both offshore and onshore, we needed to regulate the broad planning Act system we have to reflect that and make sure there were no inconsistencies that would cause confusion or legal doubt.

I do not see any implications. I know that may have been read differently by others, but that is the absolute reality. It is reality because our strategy, as set out in the energy security paper, was published in November of last year. It was agreed, debated, discussed and I think voted on by the House. It sets out in real detail exactly what we are doing and nothing has changed in that. The amendment does not in any way change the strategic direction. The only thing that may change is, as I said, even in the past year the advance of this renewable, interconnection and battery-storage revolution has happened faster than people might have thought. The whole thing with a terminal is to cover gas insecurity for a short number of years before the arrival of renewables and other efficiency technologies, which really kill our use of gas. Gas use will dramatically fall; it has to dramatically fall. The only question is whether in the intervening period we need a gas storage facility or if, through the use of new interconnectors, better battery storage and anaerobic digestion giving us some gas supply as well as Corrib and power generation stations using backup strategic distillate facilities, which they can use, we could cover the gas. That is the question we need to answer.

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