Carol Nolan calls to reopen Shannon Bridge and Lanesborough
Carol Nolan spoke on 11 October 2022 about the energy crisis, urging the reopening of Shannon Bridge and Lanesborough power plants and warning that households face crippling energy price debt. She said the bill provides benefit payments for November-December 2022, January-February 2023 and March-April 2023 but criticised the broader energy policy and called for protections for prepaid customers and scrutiny of the smart meter roll-out.
Reopening local power plants
Carol Nolan pressed for a pragmatic and urgent response, arguing that the power plants at Shannon Bridge and Lanesborough (referred to later in the speech as Lyonsborough) need to be reopened immediately. She suggested those plants could be fuelled on biomass and said reopening them is necessary in the current energy crisis.
Short-term payments and gaps
The deputy noted the bill provides a benefit payment in each of the periods November-December 2022, January-February 2023 and March-April 2023. She warned that these payments risk merely delaying the inevitable as households, families, businesses and farms confront escalating energy price debt.
Impact on communities, farms and churches
Carol Nolan raised concerns about churches and parish halls, asking whether they will be eligible for support with their energy costs because they provide vital community services. She also cited a farmer who reported costs had risen by over 400 per cent and questioned whether state intervention can meet such astronomical rises.
Critique of current energy policy
She criticised the government's approach to energy security as a sham, saying it doubles down on renewables while refusing to consider options like LNG, gas or oil exploration. Nolan described the carbon reduction policy as "nonsensical and borderline insane," arguing bans on peat and even wood are being pursued with little thought for people struggling to heat their homes.
Smart meters and consumer protections
The deputy called for certainty that prepaid customers will be protected and demanded a full investigation into the smart meter roll-out. She cited reporting that more than 930,000 smart meters have been installed under a £1.2 billion scheme over the last three years and said only a tiny fraction are being used as intended, with tariff plans described as confusing and unworkable.
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Ciancourle, a arra, ta athas ar am loarchar an milla so a noct, agus mair a seul oldoing, taan vormaar then a ceilig ar fud anstaat so ag fulint, so caithi anrailtis so a seacht níhal a ien of concair agus thaachioch da hortz doibh co luwa is feidjar. It is vital that all the necessary steps are taken to prevent households from sinking under the weight of energy price debt this winter and indeed into the new year. In that respect, I see that the bill provides for a benefit payment in each of the periods November-December 2022, January-February 2023 and March-April 2023. I have a parliamentary reply pending on a specific issue, Minister, that you may be able to shed light on here tonight and that is whether churches and parish halls will also be eligible for support with their energy costs. They are doing their utmost and have significant energy bills also. And they are providing vital community services, so are deserving of, I suppose, equal support and an equal response. In the wider sense, of course, Minister, the issue of energy costs is front and centre for households, businesses and farms, which are the major users of energy throughout this state. A farmer I spoke to recently said his costs have risen by over 400 per cent. I wonder if any level of state intervention can rise to the challenge of offering support when costs are of such an astronomical scale. The bill does nothing, of course, in terms of signalling a change in our fundamental approach to energy security, which is nothing other than a sham. Instead, government insists that it is doubling down on renewables and refuses to even consider options like LNG, gas or oil exploration. Minister, the power plants at Shannon Bridge and Lanesborough need to be reopened. We need to have a sense of pragmatism here and urgency. Those power plants could be powered and fuelled on biomass and I am calling for that here again tonight as a TD in the Midlands. I have no doubt that future generations will look at this self-imposed hostility towards our available energy resources as an act of utter lunacy and national self-harm. As important as it is to offer some financial support, it is difficult to avoid the impression that we are merely delaying the inevitable and that sooner or later Irish households, families, businesses and farms are going to be pushed over what I have described recently as the energy price precipice. It will be no consolation to these people, Minister, as they are plummeting in the cold and ruin, that it was all done to meet the demands of a nonsensical and borderline insane carbon reduction policy that is radical, extreme and is restricting us just when we need flexibility and common sense the most. It is like throwing a heavy weight to a drowning person instead of a rope. Borden after burden is imposed on the Irish people. Regulations and the banning of heat and energy sources like peat and even wood are being pursued with reckless vigour and little thought for the people who are struggling to heat their homes this winter, despite a clear and obvious need for a change in approach or at least a pause. We also need certainty that prepaid customers will be protected. In addition, I am calling for a full investigation into the roll-out of the so-called smart meters, which are far from smart, and the impact that they are having on families. As Caroline O'Doherty recently reported, only a tiny fraction of the almost one million electricity customers with smart meters are using them as intended. In fact, more than 930,000 smart meters have been installed in homes and small businesses under a 1.2 billion scheme over the last three years. Many people were under the distinct impression that these meters would assist with costs and that they were legally mandatory. Yet we know that the tariff plans are being described as deeply confusing and unworkable. Yet it is another example of people being railroaded into schemes that are not operating in their interests but in the interests of another agenda entirely. I want to conclude with my question about the reopening of the power plants. It needs to happen Minister, we are in an energy crisis situation and we need our power plants at Lyonsborough and Shannon Bridge reopened immediately.
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