Brian Brennan: Urgent call for renewables as fuel crisis bites
Brian Brennan addressed the Minister today about the escalating conflict and its impact on Ireland's fuel supply and economy. He welcomed recent targeted relief measures but warned they are insufficient for the agriculture sector and urged a faster move to renewable energy to protect consumers.
Brian Brennan acknowledged the targeted measures introduced in response to the crisis, noting nearly a quarter of a billion euros in supports, a 22% reduction, a 17% cut in petrol prices and the extension of the fuel allowance to four weeks. He highlighted that hauliers and bus companies will benefit from the diesel tax rebate scheme and encouraged the public to report if savings are not passed on.
Brennan warned the damage to oil and gas infrastructure abroad will prolong the fuel crisis and that almost 400,000 households stand to be affected, including pensioners, carers and people with disabilities. He raised particular concern for the tillage sector, pointing to a rise of over 200 euros per tonne in fertiliser and the likely knock-on effect of price inflation on supermarket shelves.
Arguing that the crisis underlines Ireland's dependence on imported fossil fuels, Brennan urged acceleration of renewable energy deployment, stronger planning arrangements with local consent, and investment in grid capacity. He welcomed SEAI grants and offshore wind ambitions, saying increased renewables will deliver energy security, emission reductions and financial savings.
Brennan placed the current situation alongside recent crises such as Brexit, Ukraine and COVID, stressing the need to support those most affected while remaining financially prudent. He closed by reiterating the priority of de-escalation through diplomacy and dialogue as the only viable path to longer-term stability.
Immediate measures and effects
Brian Brennan acknowledged the targeted measures introduced in response to the crisis, noting nearly a quarter of a billion euros in supports, a 22% reduction, a 17% cut in petrol prices and the extension of the fuel allowance to four weeks. He highlighted that hauliers and bus companies will benefit from the diesel tax rebate scheme and encouraged the public to report if savings are not passed on.
Households and agriculture under strain
Brennan warned the damage to oil and gas infrastructure abroad will prolong the fuel crisis and that almost 400,000 households stand to be affected, including pensioners, carers and people with disabilities. He raised particular concern for the tillage sector, pointing to a rise of over 200 euros per tonne in fertiliser and the likely knock-on effect of price inflation on supermarket shelves.
Renewables, planning and grid investment
Arguing that the crisis underlines Ireland's dependence on imported fossil fuels, Brennan urged acceleration of renewable energy deployment, stronger planning arrangements with local consent, and investment in grid capacity. He welcomed SEAI grants and offshore wind ambitions, saying increased renewables will deliver energy security, emission reductions and financial savings.
Context and outlook
Brennan placed the current situation alongside recent crises such as Brexit, Ukraine and COVID, stressing the need to support those most affected while remaining financially prudent. He closed by reiterating the priority of de-escalation through diplomacy and dialogue as the only viable path to longer-term stability.
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Transcript
Thank you Chair. Minister, we are all deeply concerned about this escalating conflict and the scale of the damage we are witnessing. Now is the time we need to focus on the de-escalation and this can only be done through dialogue and diplomacy. Only yesterday we learned that 23 sites of both gas and oil have been destroyed in Iran and these are obviously sophisticated structures and will take time to be rebuilt. This will obviously prolong the fuel crisis we are going through currently. No government can shield any country from this level of volatility, therefore I welcome the target measures that have been introduced in such unprecedented times and I note the value of these target measures of almost a quarter of a billion euros. I welcome the 22% reduction, I welcome the 17% reduction in petrol and I note that the fuel allowance will be extended to four weeks. This will have a huge effect on pensioners, carers, people with disabilities and those of low income throughout Ireland. This will affect almost 400,000 households. I welcome the news that the hauliers and bus companies will benefit from the diesel tax rebate scheme. I encourage the public to contact the CCPC if they are not satisfied that these reductions are being passed on. But Minister I really feel that we need to look at the agriculture sector. These measures introduced are simply insufficient especially in relation to the hard-pressed tillage sector. The rising cost of fertiliser up by over 200 euros per tonne is also a major concern. It's clear as night follows day that this will lead to full price inflation as farmers simply try to recoup their fuel price increase. Many experts estimate that this will lead to a 10% increase on the supermarket shelves. Minister, if there's one thing we learned from this crisis, that we must expand our move to renewable energies. I know that our goal is 80% in 2030. This crisis highlights our dependence on the imported fossil fuels and we simply need more renewables. We need to expand our capacity, we need to protect our consumer from the volatile markets and we must accelerate our output of renewable energy. That will entail looking at our planning laws which must have local consent and we must also invest in the grid. I welcome the key initiatives that have been done to date especially in relation to the SEAI grants for residential solar panels, heat pumps and intensive offshore wind developments and I know Ireland is hoping to have five gigawatts of offshore energy by 2030. The benefits are clear that we are going to have energy security, we are going to have reductions in emissions and there will be huge financial savings. Minister, we have been here before with major crisis through Brexit, Ukraine and COVID and we'll get through this crisis by supporting those that need it most while remaining financially prudent as we simply do not know how long this will last. Thank you Deputy Deputy Malcolm Byrne.