This Bill is a damning indictment of this Government’s failure to properly address our energy security, and this is absolutely essential in a functioning democracy. Two geopolitical events have landed and given us ample warning about the need for energy independence. Yet this is the Government's solution. It has done nothing else. The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the American-Israeli war on Iran this year have shown us that we simply cannot continue to rely on imports to keep the lights on and our energy going. This is what is ultimately driving up the cost of our electricity bills, which are now the highest in Europe. A total of 80% of our energy is currently fuelled by imports. Realising that this is probably not the best way to guarantee energy security, the Government thinks this is a good idea to solve the problem. It is even more investment in fossil fuel and imported gas, and all to placate Trump. It is glaringly obvious to most people that the simple solution to our energy crisis issues is to invest in indigenous sources of energy, such as wind and solar, something that could have been ramped up immediately following the energy crisis in 2022. The Government failed to act then and this is the solution it has arrived at now. The lack of intervention and meaningful attempts to try to get a handle on household bills means one in three is now in energy arrears. This is why Sinn Féin tabled amendments to the current Bill to ensure that ordinary people do not have to foot the bill for this daft attempt at protecting Ireland’s energy security. It is the Government which has completely butchered our energy security. It is entirely its responsibility. Its solution is a double-edged sword, as proven by the two wars started by Russia and by America and Israel. Any form of gas that we import will be susceptible to market price shocks. An LNG terminal will be much the same. It will also further lock us into fossil fuel infrastructure and increase our emissions output. This would come at a time when we are seeing some of the highest temperatures ever recorded. Just yesterday, France recorded its hottest day since records began in 1947, breaking the record of the previous day. As many as 40 people drowned in that country in the past few days as they tried to cool themselves down in the scorching heat. Today, we in Ireland expect to record historic highs in temperatures. This must be a stark warning for us. We cannot keep going down the path of fossil fuels. Also, we cannot afford merely to develop our grid and ensure energy supply, as this Bill does, to keep data centres on stream. As part of our amendments to the Bill, we ask that a fully independent assessment of the impact of data centres on energy demand and security be carried out. We cannot have a situation where households are asked to pay more, as they will be because of this Bill, while data centres suck up the energy that is vital to build the infrastructure we desperately need. As my colleague Deputy Pa Daly has previously outlined, we urge the Minister to consider the amendments put forward by Sinn Féin, support them and put the public good at the centre of our energy policy.

Sentiment score: 0.05