Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We import in excess of €6 billion in energy every year. From a strategic point of view, given the dangers that we are facing in the world, energy self-sufficiency is more important than ever, yet there is nothing tangible in the programme for Government and we have done very little on wave energy investment. We are lagging behind Scotland, Australia and Portugal. There are huge untapped resources. An energy company called NoviOcean estimated that there is a theoretical potential of 440 TW annually, which is about 16 times our current electricity consumption.

Foras na Mara said a little more modestly that we could meet 75% of our electricity requirements. One way or the other, we could be a net exporter of wave-generated energy or convert it to hydrogen. That would save us money in the long term. From a Government perspective, we need to put in the investment and shift our policy towards energy self-sufficiency.

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