Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As outlined in the programme for Government, the Government is committed to taking decisive action to radically reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and achieve a 51% reduction in emissions from 2018 to 2030, and to achieving net-zero emissions no later than 2050. In the programme for Government, we also set out commitments to achieving 80% of Ireland’s electricity generation from renewable sources by 2030 and to take all necessary action to ensure and protect Ireland’s energy security. It is through delivering on this commitment that we will deliver a secure and sustainable energy future. The commitment to a secure an energy future builds upon the Energy Security in Ireland to 2030 report that was approved by the previous Government and published in November 2023. Specifically with regard to natural gas, this report concluded that Ireland does not have adequate resilience in case of a major disruption to our subsea gas imports pipelines and does not currently meet minimum EU standards in this area. I agree with its analysis on that. We are in quite a precarious situation in that regard.

It is in this context only that a State-led strategic gas emergency reserve in the form of a floating storage and regasification unit was recommended in the report in the context of ensuring energy stability and security. A State-led strategic gas emergency reserve, operating on a non-commercial basis for use only in the event of an emergency, would provide resilience to the gas system and mitigate the major consequences for our society and our economy that would arise from significant gas disruption in Ireland. In parallel my Department is developing the appropriate policy and legislative measures to ensure that a strategic reserve provides the resilience to our system that we need.

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