Electricity Supply: Motion
Seanad Éireann — 2026-06-30
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Chris Andrews (SF), Labour Panel

I am saying that. In effect, the Government Senators recognise there is so much more that can be done. It is hard not to be cynical when Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael put forward a motion in the Seanad on what the State should be doing, as though they were not the ones holding the reins of power in this State. The motion suggests that the CRU, a body that is responsible to a Fianna Fáil Minister, should try telling electricity companies to treat consumers slightly better, and otherwise give the Government a pat on the back for supposedly doing a bang-up job in keeping electricity prices down. This is in spite of Ireland having the highest electricity prices in Europe and Dublin being the most expensive city in the EU for household electricity.
Some 300,000 households are struggling to pay their bills, which seem to be increasing every single month, but all we get from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are self-praise and temporary half-measures. The reality is that our electricity system is working just as intended. The energy companies are making record profits, and corporate interests, particularly data centres, get priority access to our grid. Skyrocketing bills for families and small businesses are a side effect of a system that prioritises profit over the public good.
More and more data centres are being built across the country, sucking up vast amounts of electricity and sending demand through the roof. The Government has been fighting tooth and nail against any criticism of these data centres or the right of tech companies to build them here in Ireland.
Heaven and earth has been moved by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to keep big tech happy but not a thought has been given to the effect these data centres have on ordinary people. They have been rolling out the red carpet for data centres, which are leading directly to higher energy costs for households, while only offering scraps to those who are paying the price.
If the Government is serious about protecting consumers from disruptions and price shocks in our electricity supply, it should be setting price caps preventing energy companies from charging households extortionate rates when there is market volatility. The companies have been making record profits year after year. They can afford to feel the pinch, unlike the rest of us. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine sent energy costs through the roof back in 2022, their profits have only increased. It is standard practice by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael that ordinary people are the first to bear the brunt of any crisis and corporations are the last. For decades, they declined to properly invest in renewable energy and building a resilient, self-sufficient system. Now, they expect the public to foot the bill for their failures.
Ordinary people did not create this energy crisis and they should not be forced to pay for the Government's failure to build a functional supply system. We need immediate action by this Government to bring household electricity prices down, including a reintroduction of energy tax credits and an extension of VAT cuts. More importantly, we need a complete change in course of direction when it comes to our energy system. The best pathway for Ireland's future is to achieve energy independence through renewable energy, particularly with wind energy, delivered for the public good and not for corporate profit.

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Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-06-30/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:07+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-30