Brendan Kenneally (Fianna Fail)

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after "Seanad Éireann" and substitute the following:

"welcomes the Government's intention to publish a Green Paper on Energy Policy which will address the key challenges for Irish energy to 2020 including strategies to reduce Ireland's dependency on imported fossil fuels through the accelerated development of renewable energy sources and enhanced energy efficiency."

I accept what Senator Quinn said earlier as regards his motion, but the amendment is non-contentious in that we all welcome the intention to publish a Green Paper. I hope we can all be positive in this debate. I had called for a debate on this matter on the Order of Business within the last couple of weeks as I believe it is a very pressing matter for this country in particular, which has little in the way of natural resources and is 100% dependent on imports for our oil supply. Accordingly, I am glad the Independent group tabled the motion.

The first reaction of most people when faced with how to reduce dependency on fossil fuels is to look to the motor industry to develop alternative ways of fuelling cars. There is no doubt that there is much scope for savings in this sector, but it is not the only area which needs our attention. Renewable sources of energy offer sustainable alternatives to our dependence on fossil fuels, a means of reducing harmful greenhouse emissions and opportunities to reduce our reliance on imported fuels. For these reasons, Irish and European policies support the increased used of renewable energy from such sources as wind, solar power, wood, waste and water, as these are abundantly available in Ireland. Several renewable energy technologies are now economically viable and capable of supplying clean, economical heat and power. Indeed, the higher the price of oil, the more economically viable previously unviable sources will become. Alternative energy must be further developed and positively encouraged through substantial assistance to the industry. The growing of rapeseed and other crops should be actively promoted among a farming population which is finding itself increasingly isolated, with reduced income and disused or underused land. That is not a natural condition for good farmers and I am sure they would welcome any positive measure which would bring them back into productive and useful farming again.

In his 2006 Budget Statement, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Cowen, introduced excise relief for biofuels in order to achieve a target of 2% of the fuels market to be taken up by biofuels by 2008, with a targeted five years excise relief starting this year at a cost of €20 million. That will be increased to €35 million in 2007 and to €50 million in each of the following three years. This relief, when fully operational, is expected to support the production in Ireland of some 163 million litres of biofuel every year. This is 20 times the current level of biofuel that qualifies for excise relief, so it should make a significant difference over time. We must remember this is only a start but it will establish valuable precedents and give positive indications of the direction in which this Government wants the country to go.

We should think of setting even more ambitious targets because, like the Members who have framed this motion, the public also know that the writing is on the wall for oil supplies and it is only a matter of time before they run out. This is currently suggested to be 50 years hence, but in view of the rapid development of the economies of countries like China with its huge potential for energy usage, we must realistically revise this figure downwards.

We may all be wrong and I hope we are, but it is only prudent to provide for a reduction in the use of fossil fuels due to the potential shortage of supply and environmental considerations. Again, being realistic, we know that we have done great damage to the environment. We have jeopardised the health of future generations and we must begin to row back some of the negative legacy we have generated for our children.

The time is right for initiatives within the alternative energy field. Members of the public are thinking of ways to reduce their energy costs and the growing number who are so minded are looking at ways to help the environment and meet our requirements in the reduction of harmful emissions. On Monday evening last, "Nationwide" on RTE featured people who are installing their own small wind turbines on the roofs of their houses. I know this has yet to be developed in any meaningful way but it does show a mindset which was not present before.

A constituent of mine who has a stream running through his land has set up a company to develop a hydroelectric scheme with a view to selling the energy created to the national grid. This is not pie in the sky; the excavators are already working and power will be generated within months. This must be replicated on a large scale and the ground must be properly prepared for such development. I get very annoyed with people who use blanket arguments against the use of wind power. Whether their point is that such turbines are noisy or that the towers impinge on the landscape, we have to face up to the fact that we must find an alternative to oil and the wind option is especially suited to this country.

It will take a large investment and may mean hefty subvention by the Government but unless we promote these cleaner forms of energy we will leave the door open to those pushing the nuclear option. This would be disastrous and regardless of what official agency might suggest it, or how many experts support it, we must not consider nuclear power. If our resolve ever flags in this regard then we need only look at Chernobyl, or invite Adi Roche to address the Oireachtas.

There is some drawback attached to every means of generating electricity. When the first Ardnacrusha hydroelectric station was set up three quarters of a century ago, the landscape had to be changed radically to allow for the new route of the headrace and tailrace to accommodate the assisted flow of water. When the Turlough Hill project was suggested and constructed over 30 years ago, many environmentalists condemned the interference with the mountain and surrounding countryside. That pumped storage station soon became a showpiece and while small enough by today's standards, it still represents go-ahead thinking in the power and energy industry.

Wind energy is not perfect but it is way ahead of other forms of electricity generation. It has been argued that Ireland has the most abundant and reliable supply of wind in Europe. It is bordering on the sinful that we are not using it to its fullest effect. I accept that wind turbines are not silent but the perception that wind farms are noisy developments is not necessarily an accurate one. As the technology gets better, so too the disadvantages and misgivings reduce and I believe that in time we will come to look on wind energy as our saviour.

We are also best placed in Europe to take advantage of wave power, the returns for which are enormous. I am sure the technical people will readily tell us just how many megawatts can be generated by a single wave, but I know from reading and from watching television programmes that wave power also has much to offer our country.

It would be easy to despair about the future of oil but I have every confidence in the motor industry to come up with an alternative fuel for vehicles and we have clean and bountiful natural resources on our side to tackle domestic and industrial requirements.

As I pointed out previously in this House, Cork local authorities have shown the way ahead in the use of alternative vehicle fuels at moderate cost and the investment in converting fleets is not enormous. Unfortunately, time does not allow me to develop this further. We must make a start in these new areas. We must encourage further investment and development where a start has already been made and we must do it now. We are on notice that oil supplies will become scarce and common sense tells us we must look to the welfare of our environment. That is why we must develop alternative energy and do it soon. As much as it grieves me to quote Winston Churchill, his wartime motto holds good in this debate: "Action this day."