Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach for accommodating me in respect of this matter, which in one way is not too far removed from the matter Senator Boylan has just discussed.

I thank the Minister of State for being here to speak to the matter. I am sure he is aware at this stage that the closure of the Lanesborough and Shannonbridge power stations have been a huge blow. I accept that peat-burning stations are going, as this must happen for environmental reasons. I do not want to excite people too much but we could face power cuts in the coming months. This is a time when we really need to make the change but the just transition was supposed to happen over eight years and this process has been very rushed.We are not going to slow down the process of putting the peat-burning stations back into action. That is gone. It is over.

As the Minister of State will be aware, part of the plan was that the power stations at Shannonbridge and Lanesborough were to be dismantled. I have raised this issue with the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste. I want them to stall the process, however that can be done, of the power stations being dismantled. If the power stations have to be handed over to the local authorities in Lanesborough and Offaly as a way out of this and it is necessary to seek some type of retention such that they are not dismantled, that is fine with me. We live in a very quickly changing world. We do not know what type of power may come on board in the next two or three years that could be used in those stations.

If the stations are not used for generating power, a significant tourism project relating to the story of the midlands, Bord na Móna and ESB should be developed. The companies provided an economic lifeline to the midlands for 70 years. That lifeline is gone but it should not be written out of history. It was part of our culture and our history. It provided employment. It built villages and towns and kept people in the area. I am sure the Minister of State will acknowledge that the demise of the ESB and Bord na Móna in the area involves the loss of thousands of jobs. Members often speak out about the loss of a couple of hundred jobs. In this case, it is about the shops, the engineering units and all the other services that were involved as part of that process.

As we go forward, I want the power stations to be retained. I know there is a process that must be gone through to retain them. If we go through that process and get feasibility studies, I believe we can bring footfall into the area. That can be done in a very good and environmentally friendly way. It would revive the areas, which is what is needed.

I compliment the groups in Lanesborough and Shannonbridge that have worked so hard on this issue. On behalf of those people, I wish to say that we appreciate the just transition fund of almost €28 million. If we can dot the i's and cross the t's, that will be very significant. This should be a plan for the future. We should not bury the whole situation or accept that the power stations are gone for good. As the operator they are gone, but we can develop new projects and make this a significant success. I look forward to the reply of the Minister of State.