Sharon Keogan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

There has been a lot of conversation on the energy crisis this past week in the media and both Houses. I could not help but think of a discussion we had on 25 June during the Second Stage debate on the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill. There was a lot of talk about energy during that debate. Senator Joe O'Reilly rightly stated that we have to avoid energy poverty and we must ensure that low-income households do not suffer on account of the transition to renewable energy sources. Yet, it seems that will be the case. Perhaps the lights will not go out this winter, but I assure Members some will be turned out by families who cannot afford to risk a grossly inflated bill at the end of each month.

I understand the setbacks to the interconnector plan with France, Wales and Northern Ireland were unexpected, but even once our offshore wind turbines are contributing significantly, beginning circa 2028, fossil fuels will still be relied on due to fluctuations in wind-generated electricity. Entirely aside from emissions, fundamentally, a constant energy source cannot be replaced with a fluctuating one. The industrial batteries that store the power generated by fluctuating energy sources come at an incredibly high price, one that will be set to climb with global demand.

Can we please have a debate in this House with the Minister for the Environment and Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, on the role nuclear power can play in our electricity sector? It is far and away the cleanest and most cost-effective way of producing the vast amounts of power we will need. It is time to sustainably end our reliance on foreign supplies of natural gas and put the spectre of Carnsore Point behind us.