Matt Shanahan warns on generators, urges indigenous energy solutions

Exceptional times require exceptional measures, and there is no doubt, Minister, we are living through exceptional times. In terms of exceptional measures, it looks as if the Dáil has to instigate exceptional powers on the Minister, as this Bill seeks to disapply the present Planning and Development Act. This is essentially safeguarding the necessary legislation to protect against unwarranted development and the trampling of citizens' rights in terms of planning developments. This legislation is being proposed tonight to reflect the significant concerns around energy supply in the State and in the main wishes to facilitate the development of electricity generating capacity through new generator deployment at Tarvert and Shannon Bridge power stations. As a member of the Regional Group Minister, we recently tabled a motion before this House requesting the repurposing of Shannon Bridge as a generating station but using a different fuel supply. We brought forward a thesis that could be fuelled by biomass which would be redirected away from the forestry export markets at present where it is being sold for very little money. This could have been used as an inward feedstock to develop an indigenous electricity generation, but it is obvious that the Government has other thoughts on the subject. It would have benefited both the security of supply and to indigenous domestic sectoral industries and I would hazard a guess to generate additional employment. It appears the Government has other ideas and what has been proposed by this Bill is now the outcome, it appears, which is the purchase of additional generators and large generator capacity to be deployed. The Bill that you are proposing also speaks to the capacity of the legislation to consider other site generation outside of these two capacity places and where again the Planning Act and the safeguards again could be disappropriated. I would have a concern I think like other colleagues here tonight Minister to that type of power and I believe if such actions are being considered then consideration of these should be brought back to the Dáil for approval. Much has been made of the electricity supply concerns we face because of the Ukraine war and the effects it is having on supply pricing due to Russia's actions in turning off the supply of gas to the European market. It is true that Europe has become far too dependent for many decades on Russian gas and this was being flagged but onwards we went on our merry way. We can acknowledge now that we are having significant supply constraints and spiralling price inflation but we might also look to our own actions in terms of generating electricity capacity and distributive solutions over past years. Despite much talk Minister of offshore wind potential and energy wind generation we are still awaiting the formation of MARA to assist offshore wind licensing approvals. This regulatory regime is needed to provide assurances to financial investment primarily in future offshore wind development and we are way behind in terms of where we said we would be with development of this institution. In addition opportunities to develop solar farm energy have been left in limbo up to now. No specific regulations concerning the Minister and no safeguards for those wishing to invest in the area and indeed a lot of difficulty in terms of planning constraints. We spoke about many farm sheds in this country which have been identified for past years that with the support of grant aid could now be generating solar electricity. Instead government have sat on their hands having been repeatedly asked to provide funding to this area and we saw the funding and farm grants for this run out nearly two years ago and not been properly replaced and it is only in recent weeks that the Housing Minister has made solar arrays on roofs free of planning constraints but accessing funding remains a key difficulty. We have heard also much public discussion regarding the possibilities of anaerobic digestion and the production of biogas. These are eminently proven technologies which have been implemented as part of energy mixes across the continent for a number of years. Yet we remain agnostic to supporting these technologies in Ireland. When I say we Minister, I mean government. We also continue to turn our back away from any consideration of liquefied natural gas and using the potential of the Kinsale gas line to import LNG from associated shipping. Or indeed to look at the technology of sequestering gas within the existing closed wells. Again technologies that are being deployed elsewhere but for some reason to which our climate agenda cannot extend itself. It seems Minister we will not burn fossil fuels under any domestic technology development or enhancement but we have no difficulty in buying generator capacity that will have to run on fossil fuel to provide the 450 megawatts of added energy security this bill entails. I expect this bill to pass, Minister, largely because the country has no choice and we cannot risk electricity, brownouts or blackouts and all of the difficulties that will bring to our population, to our industry and to our economy. But I have significant concerns, Minister, regarding the trajectory of energy policy in this country that encourages additional data centre development while at the same time taking knee-jerk reactions to offset the lack of action that government could have and still can take to expedite additional indigenous electricity generation. Like other colleagues here, Minister, I won't oppose this legislation but I believe that we need to be doing a lot more and can do a lot more in terms of indigenous electrical generation and I hope to see you, Minister, maybe becoming more more activated to that extent. I'm not a good kind.