Déirdre de Búrca (Green Party)

Will the Leader invite the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to address the House on his Department's plans for the development of wind energy, especially offshore wind energy? The State is planning to spend at least €40 million next year on carbon credits which will allow it to exceed the greenhouse gas emissions limits agreed under the Kyoto Protocol. It is both costly and environmentally unsustainable to continue to buy our way out of the international agreements we have entered into on climate change.

The operators of Wind Energy Ireland, a consortium of business people and businesses who wish to establish offshore wind energy projects, are preparing at present to invest €4 billion in those projects but they need co-operation from the State. EirGrid, the State company responsible for managing the electricity grid, would have to upgrade and make significant changes to the grid to facilitate this expansion of offshore wind energy capacity. Perhaps the Minister would come to the House to clarify his Department's plans for upgrading the electricity grid. It is estimated that if this development took place, the savings to the State would amount to approximately €235 million per year and that the electricity produced would meet the electricity needs of approximately half of the State's households. I ask the Leader to invite the Minister to the House to address this important issue.