Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish to make a couple of points. Senator Higgins made the point that sometimes people are not listened to. My understanding is that the planning officer who visited Derrybrien was highly supportive of the project. I did not speak to the lady myself so I cannot be 1000% certain of that but my understanding is that she was supportive, that she brought that view back to her bosses but that nobody was listening and nobody wanted to listen. The message came back that the environmental impact assessment had not been carried out, that was it, it was bad news and let us not touch it. The ESB gave the same message that it was bad news and let us not touch it.

My colleague, Senator Boyhan, is correct and Councillor Donohue invited me to come and look at the site. I went there and spoke to business people; people in Loughrea; and people in the surrounding area. I could only find two people who want this shut down. When we shut it down, I do not think they know what they want to do with it. It cannot be brought back to where it was; it is not possible. Bureaucrats somewhere have looked at the paperwork behind this project but none of them have visited it. If we are going to find ourselves subjected to massive fines, out of the €17 million we paid in fines surely to God they could have transported a few of them over to have a look at the site before they made a final decision on it. We are being caught in bureaucratic bind here.

It is not always the case that environmental and financial concerns are mutually exclusive. Sometimes they run hand in hand together and I do not accept the fact that by putting finance in there in some way we diminish what we are trying to do. It is about making sure that steps are taken, that they are taken in the correct manner and the entire perspective must be taken on board. We must not only look at the micro level but we must look at the macro level as well and see what is there. I can find nobody in the west of Ireland who wants anything to happen to Derrybrien other than for it to produce electricity, which is what it was built for.