It is funny, for all the talk about speaking rights, to see a lot of Opposition not turning up to speak. This is a giant infrastructure project. I am not here to wreck this Bill - energy has always been a priority for me, having studied it before I had the honour of being elected – but we really need to look at it. I understand we need energy security. If, God forbid, there was an issue with one of the interconnectors or there was an energy disaster, critical services, hospitals, homes and people who really need it would lose access to power. That needs to be addressed. A more accurate cost-benefit analysis of this project should be carried out and compared with the option of decentralising our grid with more distribution system operators, DSOs, energy sharing and battery storage. I welcome the recent announcements on storage and how it is being looked at. I held a meeting in the audiovisual room with Energy Storage Ireland which was attended by a lot of Deputies and Senators. It was looking at changing the current regulations in the area. I second what a lot of Deputies have said about data centres paying the same price as domestic energy users. Possibly, they should pay more. One way they could reduce the cost would be by using on-site renewable-generated electricity. I hope my Bill will enable them and other high-energy users to do so. The €900 million cost of building the facility could be put into more renewables or enabling people to use plug-in solar. I thank the Department for publishing the consultation on plug-in solar from 2024. I read the five reviews – I think it was EIA, Bord Gáis, ESB, EirGrid and ESBN and the Electricity Association – and a lot of them were very happy with it so I do not understand why the Department was saying it would be dangerous. The UK made a recent announcement on plug-in solar. We should run a pilot scheme and allow people in Fingal or Dublin City Council or any other county council with new-build social and affordable housing to have plug-in solar installed and show the savings to the State and the council through these systems. Some 3% or 4% of German electricity is generated from plug-in solar systems. That is no small feat for a system that can cost €300 or €400 from a Lidl or Aldi and the person can take it with them if they move. That is something that can really help. There is €900 million for this project. I know a plug-in solar system cannot power a hospital but an on-site best battery system which was charged up at night rate from the grid, stored for those emergencies at multiple locations in these systems, is another option we should be examining. We could also store HVOs for hospitals and use them for generators if there was to be an energy disaster. We are putting ourselves in a clear demand response. LNG cannot be stored for long periods in this system. It needs to be used. I welcome the work that has gone in by the Department. I also want to acknowledge EirGrid and ESB Networks - I generally do not do so but they do deserve some credit - as renewable sources supplied 49% of Ireland’s electricity. I know the hard-working men and women in these companies are doing the best they can. Our grid was very old and they had to do everything they could but, as the Minister of State knows, in this House we rarely congratulate people. It is something we should do more in politics. The CRU has approved up to €18.9 billion in green investment, which is a genuine step. However a recent article said it would not be able to take on external staff. It needs to take on external staff because it needs to be a regulator and to do its job. I welcome the engagement I have had with it and the Department. I said I would not go over five minutes but now I have got going. Serious engineers are doing serious work. Deputy Tóibín mentioned the interconnectors. We are on an island which is politically divided, sadly. That is something I would love to see change during my time in this House. When that happens we will have people in a single government on this island of Ireland. However, when it comes to the interconnectors, we are seeing repeated cases of nimbyism where local politicians object to an overhead cable. I understand Deputy Tóibín referred to undergrounding the cables but induction means it will not be viable for long distances. I understand that it might be used in parts and it might be brilliant in some cases. Farmers should have the right to ask for the cables to go underground on their land rather than above it. We were told this reserve is needed to bring about energy independence but I would again ask how adding one more single point of failure brings more energy independence and security. Surely multiple points of failure would bring that? If, God forbid, there was an attack on our energy infrastructure, on one of the interconnectors, for example, surely having one large LNG terminal would make it a big bullseye for someone who wants to take out our energy infrastructure. Multiple underground energy storage units would be energy independence and security in my opinion. Maybe the Government is doing that and it just does not want me to say that on the record of the House. On ports, Ireland has only 44 ha of planned offshore renewable energy space. Belfast has a backlog of bookings and is the only port suitable for large scale ORE. We are missing an opportunity. I have welcomed the investment into Cork Port many times and I also welcome the work the Department is doing with port marshalling to allow more investment into port. I will have two amendments to the Bill which I look forward to discussing. I have said before that Churchill tried before to limit coal coming into Ireland to force de Valera’s hand. The UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, resigned recently. Looking at the polls, we do not know who will be in power in UK after the next election. Making our country dependent on an interconnector when we do not control the energy coming from the other side is not energy independence. I know this would but I am talking on the broader scheme. The Bill should be amended to include a clause to re-examine that. I support the principle of the Bill. It is a necessary evil, as Deputy Ward said. A lot of work could have been done by a previous government, when the Green Party was in coalition, to prevent this. I can only do what I can do when I am in this House since my election. I ask the Minister and the Department to look at my amendments and consider the discussion I hope to have about the future-proofing of our grid. I will ask once more about plug-in solar. I welcome that we are having discussion on it at the climate and energy committee. It is a quick fix, it is low cost and will save people in the constituency I represent money. I welcome the engagement the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, have had. That only took me eight minutes.

Sentiment score: 0.16