Carol Nolan warns on wind farms and calls out energy profiteering
Carol Nolan welcomed a bill to amend ESB borrowing rules to finance and upgrade the electricity grid but warned it must protect communities and taxpayers. She supported funding for the PR6 programme and the north-south interconnector while pressing for local measures to prevent blackouts and for scrutiny of energy companies.
Carol Nolan said the bill is necessary to update outdated ESB borrowing rules and to support grid investment. She referenced the ESB fund of €13.4 billion for the PR6 reference investment programme and the construction of the north-south interconnector, and noted the State will grant an additional £1.5 billion in ESB shares.
She stressed that macro investment must be matched by attention to local, practical issues that ensure continuity of supply. Nolan argued that simple measures - for example cutting back trees that bring down power lines - are vital to prevent blackouts in homes, communities and businesses.
Nolan said she is unconvinced by some arguments for rapid expansion of wind energy and raised concerns about a lack of protections for communities. She called repeatedly for a moratorium on new wind farms until guidelines are published that balance development and community rights, citing constituent complaints in Offaly about infrasound and effects on livestock.
She criticised energy credits as having let energy companies "off the hook" and accused suppliers of profiteering while households, pensioners and small businesses struggle with bills. Nolan called on Government to tackle high electricity prices, to bring energy companies before the Oireachtas Committee on Energy and Climate, and to protect taxpayers' investment in the ESB.
Bill and funding
Carol Nolan said the bill is necessary to update outdated ESB borrowing rules and to support grid investment. She referenced the ESB fund of €13.4 billion for the PR6 reference investment programme and the construction of the north-south interconnector, and noted the State will grant an additional £1.5 billion in ESB shares.
Local supply and continuity concerns
She stressed that macro investment must be matched by attention to local, practical issues that ensure continuity of supply. Nolan argued that simple measures - for example cutting back trees that bring down power lines - are vital to prevent blackouts in homes, communities and businesses.
Wind farm impacts and community protections
Nolan said she is unconvinced by some arguments for rapid expansion of wind energy and raised concerns about a lack of protections for communities. She called repeatedly for a moratorium on new wind farms until guidelines are published that balance development and community rights, citing constituent complaints in Offaly about infrasound and effects on livestock.
Energy prices and corporate accountability
She criticised energy credits as having let energy companies "off the hook" and accused suppliers of profiteering while households, pensioners and small businesses struggle with bills. Nolan called on Government to tackle high electricity prices, to bring energy companies before the Oireachtas Committee on Energy and Climate, and to protect taxpayers' investment in the ESB.
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Transcript
Minister, I very much welcome this bill given the urgent need to take active steps towards financing and upgrading our creaking energy grid. If that requires amending an outdated series of rules around ESB borrowing then we should get on and do exactly that. Clearly there is a need here if the existing laws and limits go back to the 1950s or the 2000s. I am aware that this bill deals with the current ESB fund of €13.4 billion for the PR6 programme reference investment programme and the construction of the north-south interconnector which is a critical piece of infrastructure. But my concern here Minister is more on the micro level than on the macro level. It is all well and good investing in the grid and energy infrastructure, but what good will that do if we continue having homes in entire communities and indeed businesses living with blackouts? If we do not do the simple things right, like cutting back trees which knock down power lines, then we are missing the point entirely. A reinforced grid is one thing, but maintaining continuity of supply often comes down to the small, local and practical details. Also, given that the State will now be granting an additional £1.5 billion in shares of our capital stock in ESB, we do need firm assurances that this level of taxpayer investment will be protected. Finally, I do have some major concerns around the persistence of moving towards such levels of so-called renewable energy for our grid. I am not at all convinced that the economic, environmental or infrastructural arguments around wind energy, for example, are as credible as people think. And I am extremely concerned about the lack of protections for many, many communities throughout this State. In my own constituency of Offaly, I have constituents complaining about infrasound from a wind farm. They are not being listened to. We have no guidelines, and we have absolutely no protections for those communities. I have called time and time again for a moratorium on wind farms until the guidelines are published, but more importantly, until the guidelines give balance to this whole debate and argument and protect communities and their rights. And so far, that is not happening. And it is shocking to see wind farms being imposed on communities that are completely against. And to see also, I have had an issue with farms in Offaly where, you know, it is affecting animals. Not alone is it affecting the residents, but it is affecting the animals in the fields. I have had reports of livestock having to be moved when a wind farm went into North Offaly. Now, that is not fair. We need a balance between communities and corporate entities. And finally, I am going to end on the electricity prices. And I would just like to say again, and I have said it here before, that giving the energy credits, which were welcomed by many households struggling around this State, it was letting the energy companies off the hook. Why are the energy companies allowed to continue to profiteer? I am calling on Government to tackle that issue head on. It has to be tackled. We are all elected here to represent communities throughout this State, not to represent the energy companies. So that needs to be tackled and there needs to be fairness. And I would ask again for the energy companies to be brought in before the Oireachtas Committee on Energy and Climate. That needs to happen and it needs to happen quickly. I have had constituents in my own county of Offaly, pensioners, ordinary hard working families who were stretched trying to pay bills into my offices and indeed businesses. And I know for a fact that many small businesses have closed because they just were not able to meet the high energy costs. It is very wrong that Government is continuing to sit back and allow the energy companies to profiteer when people are really struggling and when small businesses are struggling. Are we not here to represent the ordinary people and the small SMEs around this State who create huge employment? Is that not our purpose here? Because my understanding was that was why we're all elected here. It wasn't to represent corporate entities. It was to represent communities and it was to represent our constituents. So I'm calling for Government to tackle this issue of extortionate electricity prices once and for all. Go raibh maith agat.