Mr. Billy Kelleher:

We have obligations. As was already pointed out, legislation was passed in this House with regard to our climate change obligations. LNG will in my view be a significant component in the transition. I am working on a file on green bonds, whereby the funding of the transition will be classified. Certainly, the issues of nuclear and gas were and are very contentious in Europe. Bear in mind, as I said already, many countries either have nuclear or are building it. France recently announced it is going to build six to 12 new nuclear reactors over the next number of years.

From the point of view of Ballylongford and the development there, we must accept we are very lethargic in our ability to get issues through planning processes, be they wind farms, the Ballylongford development or major infrastructure developments. Everybody has a right and entitlement to object but we should at least have a streamlined process that is not dragged out for years and years. Something we seem to be very good at in this country is the continual appeals process right through, as we saw recently, to the Supreme Court etc. We need, therefore, to streamline that process.

We must accept we will need LNG in the short to medium term while we build up our capacity in renewables. This will mainly be through wind but also solar, anaerobic digestion, methane and hydrogen. Ballylongford or other similar developments will be part of that. When we are developing these projects we must do so mindful they are short term in terms of dependence on LNG and that they are strategically developed for the longer-term use of biomethanes and for other forms of gas generated through sustainability. That is in my view the critical component when we are developing these.

I am aware that Ballylongford and others have looked at the idea that in the short term they are using LNG but that in the long term they would be technologically suitable to be converted to biomethanes. That is really the debate we should be having. We all accept we must get to carbon neutrality by 2050. The question is whether we accept it is going to be a difficult journey or pretend it is going to be very easy.