1. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he is aware of a new UN report on the environmental impact of AI (details supplied), which cites Ireland as a "cautionary example"; if he has plans to implement a grid prioritisation framework, as outlined in the EU Commission's guidance on efficient and timely grid connections in December 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44295/26]
Sentiment score: 0.20
The United Nations is citing Ireland as a cautionary example of what happens when Government policy fails to keep pace with the explosive energy demand from data centres and AI. We are not leaders or an example for the rest of the world but a warning. This did not happen overnight. It is a result of political choices, the lack of a framework and the lack of a plan. What is the Minister's grip on this? Does he have any plans to deal with the mounting criticisms of our approach to data centres?
Sentiment score: -0.18
I agree that data centres are necessary in this country but it is a question of planning appropriately for what is there. The European Commission has already set out a clear pathway for a grid prioritisation framework, putting the public need, system readiness and climate obligations at the centre of decision-making. Here in Ireland we have an open season policy of first come, first served regardless of who benefits. Who is inevitably benefiting? It is the larger corporate and AI users of data centres. This is why the UN calls it a cautionary example. What does it mean for ordinary people, families and small businesses? They are forced to compete for electricity capacity in their own country and county, when a small number of large-scale operators are effectively being waved through without the prioritisation strategy that is necessary. We have been warning about this for years. Housing developments are being delayed, energy bills are being driven up and blackouts are on the cards. Does the Minister have any plan to insist on a prioritisation framework?
Sentiment score: 0.08
I thank the Minister for the reply but one of the consequences is in relation to our energy security. This is not a theoretical difficulty any more. When the system is pushed to its limits the risk is not that abstract. What we have, and we have seen this already, are blackouts, supply disruption and emergency measures. This is what happens when a grid is under strain. EirGrid has been warning about it for years. The Secretary General warned of the dangers of the approach and said that we need to choose between housing and AI. Officials in the Department of public expenditure warned that data centres are pushing up household bills. Despite these warnings, not enough is being done to ensure security of supply so that no matter what the circumstances homes will be heated, hospitals will operate, businesses can function and energy bills are not driven sky-high, as they have been over the last number of years. We have seen that instead of securing supply first and managing demand, the Government is allowing demand, particularly from these centres, to dictate the system, and this is the imbalance that is happening.
Sentiment score: -0.04
3. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the number of recent reports which confirm that Ireland has the highest electricity prices in the EU (details supplied); the measures he is taking to reduce prices; if he will reintroduce electricity credits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44296/26]
Sentiment score: 0.20
The Minister knows we have the highest electricity bills in Europe. Families are struggling with increased costs year-on-year. The Government is continuing to preside over a system where costs are driven up by poor planning, over-reliance on imported gas and an energy model that prioritises the large corporate demand, particularly from data centres, over ordinary customers. Can the Minister explain why we are paying so much, what the Government has done that allows infrastructure and policy failures to push up the prices and what reliefs it is going to provide now? I ask the Minister not to say, "the task force".
Sentiment score: -0.14
The Minister said, and we all agree, that energy bills are too high, whether we have the highest, the second highest or the fourth highest costs. We all know that energy companies are, of course, going to raise their bills year-on-year. They have an obligation to shareholders, and they want to make a profit not only this year but an increased profit next year and the year afterwards. The question is: when the Minister is going to step in and tell them that enough is enough? I ask this because there is a lack of progress here. Energy suppliers had a recent spate of price hikes. One company raised its prices twice last summer. Once again, however, the Minister points to the insufficient measures, I think, contained in budget 2026. He did not, however, refer to the possibility of allocating energy credits, which we said would have been a temporary measure. The energy regulator warned that the withdrawal of these credits would lead to a spike in arrears, and that is exactly what happened. Is the Minister going to consider reintroducing energy credits as a temporary measure as part of budget 2027, given our prices are so high?
Sentiment score: 0.32
Some progress is being made in offshore renewables but there is no State investment in it and we are way behind with it. Even one of the Government’s own Ministers said it had been sitting on its hands and navel-gazing about offshore wind for many years.
Sentiment score: -0.11
The energy credits were supposed to be just a temporary measure while the structural failures were being sorted out. It is not just Sinn Féin or other Opposition parties saying this. The International Energy Agency, IEA, has queried and called into question the huge gap between the retail price and the wholesale energy costs here. Even the Taoiseach himself has admitted that price gouging is going on. We have the biggest gap in the world and it costs three times more to buy energy here than it does to produce it. The ESRI agrees with us. It highlights that wholesale prices have fallen much more slowly here than in other European countries. I see what the Minister said about the VAT rate, the network charges and the other levies but it seems that nothing is being done to address this situation.
Sentiment score: 0.17
5. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment whether he believes the measures that the Government has taken will not be sufficient to reduce emissions to meet both our national and EU climate targets (details supplied); the measures he is taking to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44297/26]
Sentiment score: 0.10
Recent reports have stated Government measures will not be sufficient to reduce emissions in order to meet our national and EU climate targets and obligations. What measures is the Minister taking to address this?
Sentiment score: 0.00
We accept, and the Minister accepts, that the small amount of money allocated for the new EV scheme, which is commencing on 1 July, is not going to address the issue. The way things are going, those funds will probably have been used up by the end of that month. Even though some money has been ring-fenced for rural areas, the scheme is not going to address the glaring need there. The EPA has made it clear that even if the current measures were to be delivered, they will only cut emissions by approximately 25%. On the EU side, we are heading to approximately 23% when the obligation, as the Minister knows, is 42%. It is a policy failure. The consequence is that we could have up to €28 billion in fines, although the Minister has questioned that. We will have to pay some money towards carbon credit purchases. That money could be invested in communities and workers. Retrofit schemes are still too expensive. Rural communities are still facing rising costs and we have heard about energy prices. Workers and families have to carry this burden without clear, credible income supports and transition pathways. We need a just transition.
Sentiment score: 0.02
I know the Minister has been asked to do that in respect of EV cars and it is good that he is moving towards addressing an issue for which we have been calling for a long time, which is the prioritisation of rural areas. What about second-hand cars? It is still the case that for people who will be selling or scrapping cars, it is a small amount of money. How about a scheme for second-hand purchasers if, for example, it is their first time buying an EV? We need a just transition. We need free or subsidised retrofits for those who need them the most. If you are in a rural area or are an older person, you are unlikely to make that big outward investment to retrofit your home. We also need affordable public transport and more rural connectivity. We need income supports and protections for workers and families through the transition. I ask the Minister to address those points and to have more of an emphasis on older people and rural areas. As the Minister knows, one third of the money for EVs has up to now been given for cars that are worth over €55,000.
Sentiment score: 0.17