Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)

We are seriously reaching a crisis point with the cost of electricity and energy. Sinn Féin asked in September in the lead up to the budget to extend the energy credits introduced in 2022 at a time when the cost-of-living crisis was at its worst with fuel and food costs, with electricity companies announcing price hikes to customer bills and with more than 300,000 people - and growing - already in arrears with their electricity bills. We warned the Government this was going be a particularly difficult winter for people. The energy credits are needed now more than ever to get people through a dark and very cold winter.

However, the Government did not listen to us. It did not listen to its own officials in the Department of energy either who warned Government electricity and gas prices were rising for the first time in years. According to information found by my party colleague, Lynn Boylan MEP, officials claimed that without government supports, average households would be hit by an extra €321 in electricity costs but it ignored them. The pre-election giveaway budget of the past year is firmly in the rear view mirror of this Government and it has now resorted to austerity when people are at their most vulnerable.

Not only has Government cut those vital lifelines for people this winter, it has refused to do anything substantial to stop electricity companies from price gouging. Price review 6 is ultimately going to see another increase in electricity charges for ordinary people, with a 21% hike for households with the annual cost rising by almost €500. Large energy users, on the other hand, such as data centres will see their bills fall by 3% to 18% under Price review 6. We know data centres are already consuming about 22% of all our electricity in 2024. This is set to rise to 30% in 2030, the equivalent of 2 million Irish homes, which we are not going to get under this Government. What is worse is new data centres are in direct competition for electricity connections with new homes. The first-come first-served policy does not and cannot work. We saw it in Grange Castle in west Dublin, where the houses meant to be connected to the grid did not get it because the data centre did. Why are data centre energy costs going down while ordinary people's energy prices are going up?

We have to invest in the grid in the coming years but these charges need to be distributed fairly. People cannot afford to pay the bills they are getting while they see data centres and other large energy users getting a reduction. We need immediate and tangible action from this Government to ensure people can keep the lights on this winter and ensure data centres are not allowed free reign over our grid capacity in the future.

Government really has to get to grips with the energy costs. We are going to see it in all our constituencies. The cafes, hairdressers and restaurants will have to pay increased electricity costs. The worst thing is customers are also seeing less money in their spendable pay and will not be able sustain these small ordinary companies because this Government give favourable treatment to data centres. It is not fair.

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