I am pleased to speak on this Bill, which I support. Recent events in the Middle East have underscored the necessity of this Bill. The energy crisis caused by the conflict in the Middle East has seen record price hikes but, more importantly, raised questions over Ireland's energy security. This is an issue that I have highlighted on several occasions in the House in this term and the previous one. We are an island at the end of the European supply line. We have no meaningful buffer and no gas storage. We are the only country in the European Union in that position. When a shock comes, it reaches us very quickly and it hits hard, so this Bill matters to us. The State-led strategic gas reserve in the form of a floating storage and regasification unit to be located on the Shannon Estuary, is a sensible, welcome and necessary measure. It will provide backup for our electricity supply at moments of low renewable output and it gives us a cushion in the event of a serious disruption to supply. I particularly welcome that it is designed as a temporary, State-owned, emergency-only facility. The Minister repeatedly said this was the plan. The scaremongering and disinformation we have heard has been disappointing but not surprising. The proposed structure matters. It reduces the risk of stranded assets, does not stimulate additional gas demand and it is compatible with our binding climate targets. This is energy security and climate responsibility working together, not against one another. I also welcome the accelerated consenting framework in the Bill. The conventional planning route would have delivered this around 2031 and we cannot wait until then. The bespoke process here retains the essentials, namely, the environmental impact assessment, the appropriate assessment and public consultation, but within defined timelines. That is the right balance. That is the right balance. It reflects a Government that has learned the hard lesson that infrastructure delayed is, too often, infrastructure denied. I want to be clear that this reserve is a safety net. It is not a strategy. A reserve is what we draw down in an emergency. It is not what keeps the lights on year after year. I will use my remaining time to speak about the bigger picture. If the recent crisis has taught us anything, it is that we need to be far more ambitious about our indigenous supply. Corrib, which has served us well, is reaching the end of its productive life. When it goes, our domestic gas production goes with it and our import dependency becomes near total at precisely the wrong moment. I have long argued, including during my time on the climate action committee in the previous Dáil, that we are dangerously exposed. I want to see us extend the productive life of the Corrib infrastructure where it is feasible and responsible to do so. The existing infrastructure off the Mayo coast is a national asset. There are indigenous prospects within tie-back range of it that could materially reduce our reliance on imported gas. That is gas that arrives with a carbon footprint many times higher than anything we would produce ourselves. It makes no environmental or strategic sense to shut down our cleaner production only to import dirtier gas through a single pipeline from another jurisdiction. This is not a choice between fossil fuels and renewables; it is both, sequenced properly. I want to see us go faster on solar and far faster on offshore wind. The Minister of State is aware of my promotion of those renewables. Our offshore wind potential is among the best in Europe, but we have been far too slow to capture it. Ultimately, the renewable transition is the destination, but we will need a bridging supply to get there safely. We should be honest with people about that, rather than pretending otherwise. I will mention households because all of this is abstract to families and households worried about heating bills. Oil prices have eased back in recent weeks from their crisis peak, and that relief must be passed on at the pump and on the bill. It cannot be absorbed quietly into margins. I ask the Minister of State to ensure the regulator and relevant authorities are watching this closely. Looking to the winter ahead, the Government must act to protect the most vulnerable. I ask that we increase the fuel allowance in the budget and seriously examine a further energy credit for households, particularly those in need. People have been through a challenging number of months and certain households will need support as we enter this winter. With all that said, this is a Bill that is long overdue. The energy supply report that was published was referred to earlier. We have to use that as the basis. Any more time given to this will be time delayed to such a strategic infrastructural piece that this country needs.

Sentiment score: 0.08