Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after “That” and substitute the following:

“Seanad Éireann:

notes that: - the International Energy Agency defines energy security as the uninterrupted availability of energy sources at an affordable price;

- Ireland imports over 70 per cent of the energy we use, compared to a European Union total of almost 60 per cent;

- oil and gas represent around 80 per cent of Ireland’s primary energy requirement; - all of the oil used in Ireland is imported;

- approximately three quarters of the gas used in Ireland is imported via pipelines from the United Kingdom; the remainder of our gas needs are met from the Corrib gas field and the output from this field is declining;

- renewables currently account for 13 per cent of Ireland’s primary energy requirement;

- the recent ‘Sixth Assessment Report’ from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reemphasised the need to decarbonise our society and economy;

- responding to this need, the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021 set a national climate goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 and a 51 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030; the Climate Action Plan 2021 sets out a programme of actions to meet these targets, including:

- in transport, increasing the use of public transport and active travel through the National Sustainable Mobility Policy and increased use of electric vehicles;

- in heating, retrofitting our stock of residential and commercial buildings with significantly increased exchequer support under the National Retrofit Plan;

- generating up to 80 per cent of our electricity from renewable generation by the end of the decade with a significant increase in onshore and offshore wind and solar power;

- the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, 2022, is unprecedented in Europe in modern times; the resulting war has, and will continue to have, significant impacts for the world, for the European Union and for Ireland;

- the war has impacted Europe’s energy system; in particular, the invasion has triggered a decision by the European Union to phase out its dependency on Russian gas, oil and coal imports as soon as possible;

- the immediate impacts of the war include significant increases in the price that we pay for energy;

- in the longer-term, the war will also impact where and how we source that energy and will change how we design energy policy to ensure the system’s long-term resilience;

- the ‘National Energy Security Framework’, published in April 2022, outlines an integrated whole-of -Government response to this crisis;

- the Framework sets out a set of 31 responses to the crisis with clear timelines and accountability for their implementation;

- these responses cover three themes:

- managing the impact of the crisis on consumers and businesses;

- ensuring security of energy supply in the near-term;

- reducing our dependency on imported fossil fuels in the context of the phasing out of Russian energy imports across the EU;

- nuclear powered electricity generation plants are prohibited in Ireland; the Government has no plans to revisit the prohibition on, or explore the development of, nuclear powered electricity generation in Ireland;

- the Government has committed to increasing the amount that is charged per tonne of CO2 emissions from fuels to €100 by 2030; this is a key pillar underpinning the Government’s Climate Action Plan to halve emissions by 2030 and reach net zero no later than 2050;

- a significant portion of carbon tax revenue is allocated for expenditure on targeted welfare measures and energy efficiency measures, which not only support the most vulnerable households in society but also in the long term, provides support against fuel price impacts by reducing our reliance on fossil fuels;

- changes to carbon tax rates are having a relatively small impact on current energy prices; the Budget 2022 carbon tax increase, which came into effect in October last year, added approximately 2 cents per litre in tax to petrol and diesel;

- the increase in rates for home heating fuels such as kerosene, gas, and solid fuels was delayed until 1 May, 2022, to mitigate against impacts during the winter heating season; the May 2022 increase will add approximately 20 cents (VAT inclusive) to a 12.5kg bale of briquettes;

- a range of other steps have been taken to ameliorate the effect on consumers of higher energy prices and of planned increased in carbon tax:

- the weekly rate of the fuel allowance was increased by €5 to €33 a week in Budget 2022 so that €914 was paid to eligible households over the course of the winter; an additional lump-sum payment of €125 was paid to the 370,000 households receiving the fuel allowance in mid-March 2022;

- all residential electricity customers are receiving an electricity costs emergency benefit payment of €200 (incl. VAT) at a total cost of circa €400 million;

- in March, a €320 million measure was agreed by Government, to temporarily reduce excise duties on petrol, diesel and marked gas oil, which cut excise by 20 cent per litre of petrol and 15 cent per litre of diesel until the end of August;

- in April, VAT was reduced from 13.5 per cent to 9 per cent on gas and electricity bills from the start of May until the end of October;

- carbon tax is not the cause of current energy price inflation;

- each year, some 1,300 people die prematurely in Ireland due to air pollution from solid fuel burning; it is estimated that there are over 16,200 life years lost, while many people also experience a poor quality of life due to the associated short-term and long-term health impacts of this form of pollution;

- the Government is preparing regulations on turf harvesting that will ensure that while measures are introduced to enhance air quality, they will not impinge upon traditional local practices associated with sod peat; calls on the Government to: - respond to the current crisis in energy markets as set out in the National Energy Security Framework;

- manage, in particular, the impact of the crisis on consumers and businesses by implementing the responses set out in the Framework, by:

- continuing the excise duty reduction on petrol, diesel and marked gas oil until the Budget in October 2022;

- making an additional payment of €100 to all recipients of fuel allowance; - reducing the Public Service Obligation Levy to zero by October 2022;

- undertaking a programme of communications to inform consumers and businesses what actions they can take to reduce their energy demand, how they could lower energy bills and what supports are available to them;

- implementing a targeted package of measures to enhance protections for financially vulnerable customers and customers in debt;

- supporting existing customers to access a competitive rate for their energy; and

- introducing a scheme for installation of PV panels for vulnerable customers/households with a budget of €20m; - ensure security of energy supply in the near-term by implementing the responses in the Framework, by: - reviewing and testing oil, natural gas and electricity emergency plans and procedures against scenarios of escalating severity in the context of the war in Ukraine;

- working closely with the oil industry to monitor the supplies of oil in Ireland on an ongoing basis and keeping under review the need to release strategic oil stocks to the market;

- reviewing and updating the frameworks for cooperation on natural gas supplies to Ireland as required, in the context of the EU’s gas market and security of supply legislative proposals; and

- preparing the electricity system for potential disruptions to supplies of natural gas and managing potential impacts on final electricity consumers; - reduce our dependency on imported fossil fuels in the context of the phasing out of Russian energy imports across the EU by implementing the responses in the Framework, by: - aligning all elements of the planning system to fully support accelerated renewable energy development;

- reviewing grid connection arrangements for renewable electricity projects and the development of system services to accelerate the growth in renewable electricity;

- accelerating investment in the electricity grid and the development of storage technologies;

- expanding the rollout of renewable microgeneration including the implementation plan for the clean export premium;

- appraising the potential of biomethane; and

- prioritising the development of a hydrogen strategy; - accelerate the measures in the Climate Action Plan 2021 that will reduce dependence on fossil fuels and increase the use of renewable electricity as this will lead to a sustainable and secure energy future for Ireland; and

- complete the programme of actions proposed by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities to longer term security of electricity supply.”

I welcome the opportunity to have a debate about this important issue. While I welcome the debate and the tone of it, I have to say that Senator Keogan has put forward her views and ideas in a questioning and thoughtful way. That is good, because we often come into this Chamber and others and we have that bickering thing about who knows best about climate change, or whether it exists, or how we go about it. At least this is a good opening and a positive debate.

From my perspective and from my party’s perspective, we very much support the counter-motion.The picture presented today in the Private Members’ motion is not consistent with the development of the climate and communications policy that is already there. Earlier this month, the Government approved and published the national energy security framework. That framework examines and impacts on Ireland’s energy system. It sets out the structures that will be in place. It includes the over 30 specific responses that we are taking.

For me, the biggest issue around nuclear energy is that that boat has sailed. We do not have the know-how, the technology or the corporate knowledge that other countries do. It is not that we should be against it. Senator Keogan has talked about the science. I studied physics in school. I had a good interest in it. I think things have developed a lot since then. There is no doubt that it is probably a safer technology. However, others are more advanced than us. The fact that we are utilising energy that is generated through nuclear fusion is a good thing. However, the bit that is missing for me is the quality of the grid network that exists across Europe. We need to look from a combined European perspective at improving that grid network. If the Finns and the French have a corporate knowledge and have experience in generating electricity from nuclear, I wish them the best of luck. I encourage them to do it. In a liberated, open energy market let us buy that from them at the best rate. Energy is traded now on the half hour. Therefore, wherever it is, let us get it.

Senator Mullen makes a great point that the wind does not blow all the time, and for sure it does not. Even worse, it blows at the time when the demand is least, which is principally at night. This ties in with what the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, is talking about, which is seen in a project in the constituency that I live in, which is Clare. The ESB and others are developing a plan around hydrogen. They are taking the wind that will blow at night to generate electricity that will convert to the clean energy that is green hydrogen.It is not the conversion of a gas; it is the use of a process of electrolysis that will generate hydrogen and you store that. It is not entirely efficient either. There is a loss of 20% to 30% when you convert energy from electricity to hydrogen and the loss of energy is not what we want. It will play a significant part in our energy mix because it can be stored and electricity can be generated from it by burning it at a later stage and it can be used for the greening of heavy goods vehicles into the future, which is important. With the best will in the world, in bus technology or in heavy goods vehicles it is unlikely that we will be able to get battery technology to a point that will move our goods around Europe. Hopefully hydrogen will play a part in that, which is to be welcomed.

Ireland has become good at wind, although it is not entirely popular. I noticed in Senator Keogan's motion, which is well intended, that it was mentioned that we should be prepared to look at something we might not have looked at in the past and we should do so. We should also look at what would be acceptable to the people we represent. I come from a constituency where, in the minds of people, there is a proliferation of wind turbines. I would hate to be going to a public meeting and to have to suggest to them that we would put in a small nuclear reactor to generate electricity. It would be a tough one to have to suggest. Notwithstanding the science or the safety aspect of it, there are people who, for their own reasons, believe that shadow flicker or noise from a turbine have an impact on their health and I am not disputing that. The science does not back that up but there are people who feel it has an impact on their capacity to enjoy the surrounds of their homes. It would be a challenge to get through planning for a nuclear reactor and we would bogged down forever. While the science might be right, the propensity for objections and the way our planning laws are constructed means it would not solve our immediate problem, that has largely been caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

LNG may have to form part of the mix in the short term. I would not rule it out and I would not be against the principle of LNG, but only in certain places in a broader grid where you are pumping gas into the network. If there has to be floating storage, I am against LNG in the Shannon Estuary and I will remain against it. If you invest significantly in infrastructure the investors will want to see that amortised over a long period of time and you become captured by that technology. The principle of using it in the short term to deal with the crisis we have is fine and I would go along with the idea. There are a number of floating technologies around the world that may have to be drafted in during this emergency situation, but not in the long term. I welcome the debate and it is healthy to have it.