Bhí mé ag éisteacht le gach duine agus mé i m’oifig ansin. Aontaím le go leor rudaí ráite, go háirithe faoin gcaidreamh idir an tAontas Eorpach agus Iosrael. I mentioned it earlier in the House. Níl sé maith go leor nach bhfuilimid ag déanamh ár ndícheall le haghaidh sanctions agus the OTB. I welcome that the Minister said that she has consulted with the Attorney General. I urge that this be done urgently. Europe Day is a moment to reflect not just on what the European Union is, but what it can be. I welcome Deputy Ó Murchú's acknowledgement of how the EU did help with peace and how it will hopefully continue in the future. We have benefited enormously. I have been speaking to some of my senior constituents about times gone by and how times were a lot different. We have better infrastructure and better economic development. One of the things I would love us to take from some of our EU counterparts and the UK, which have left the EU, is their energy policies on private wires and plug-in solar. The EU should make it easier for member states to roll out these systems. Ireland knows better than most that targets are being set relating to strategies, working groups and clearing houses. We are continuously discussing this at the Joint Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy. Action is what we need. We are generating enough renewable energy and it is being turned off. Many studies show that the use of battery energy storage systems, BESS, gravity storage and any long duration energy storage, in conjunction with private wires or the national grid, if it is being done fast enough, will help the Irish people. We need to be serious about energy independence because otherwise, our Government can be dictated to by foreign wars as it is at the moment. We saw a 23% rise in the cost of liquefied natural gas, LNG, in 24 hours. For energy security reasons, the Government is considering an LNG terminal. For energy security reasons, we need to decentralise our grid and have the alternative solutions in place. People should be allowed to have plug-in solar battery systems rolled out faster. Air-to-air heat pumps should be allowed. Solar meitheal projects should be brought in across social housing and we should benefit our country with what we already generate from offshore renewable energy. It is ridiculous that we cannot invest in ports at the moment. There was a loophole where we got €90 million into the Port of Cork. Currently, one of the only alternatives to Cork that can build these giant structures for offshore renewable energy, ORE, is Belfast. We need to have the guidance of the EU and our European counterparts in Norway who rolled out the system and have a more energy independent state. If we can reduce energy costs and grid capacity, we will help the Irish people and reach our climate targets or close to them. The solutions are available today and they are used across the EU. This will reduce electricity bills. I also hear talk about nuclear power. Look at the UK and what happened with Hinkley Point C. The UK has a lot more resources than our State. When I was doing engineering, we did a small module on nuclear energy and we learned about the basic workings of it. We do not have the mechanics or nuclear physicists in our country, so we will have to externally source them. To bring the economics of the UK comparably to a decentralised, more renewable-focused grid, Ireland would be better positioned now than if we go down the nuclear route. I am not completely against nuclear. I understand the efficiencies but as a short-term effect, it is not ideal. As a long-term solution down the road, when small modular reactor systems get more developed and are used at a higher rate, we will possibly have a cheaper option. Hinkley Point was approved in 2016. The estimated cost was £18 billion. The latest estimated cost is £31 billion to £34 billion, and it is at the higher point now. It is actually even higher when we take into account inflation. That is the UK Government. We have seen how some of the State contracts have gone overboard here with small projects. Think of a nuclear power plant and any small change that can happen. Hinkley Point was originally expected to be functional by 2025 and it is now expected to be closer to 2031. If we are serious about benefiting and being a leader in the EU, we need to benefit the Irish people with our offshore renewable energy, including wind.

Sentiment score: 0.19