Development (Strategic Gas Reserve) Bill 2026: Second Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2026-07-07
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Mark Duffy (FG), Labour Panel

I thank the Minister of State for being here for the Second Stage debate on this important legislation. I wish place on record my support for the Development (Strategic Gas Reserve) Bill 2026. In recent years we have seen the politicisation and weaponisation of gas, be it the supply we have coming in through the North or transatlantic threats off our coasts.
In Ireland, we have 20% of supply coming from our own county of Mayo through the Corrib field and 80% coming from the North Sea, which comes in through Northern Ireland. While we are moving to a decarbonised economy and country, gas and the supply of it underpins all of that. When the wind does not blow and the sun does not shine, we need to make sure that we have a solid supply of it. Seeing the weaponisation of that on the continent of Europe poses a real risk to supply for our hospitals, schools and homes.
It is important that we make sure that we have backup supplies and reserves to make sure that the country can continue to tick in the event of major disruption. The world has become more polarised, particularly within the past ten years, and we need to make sure that we can stand on our own two feet as much as possible. This legislation will help support that.
I hope that the legislation moves through swiftly and is supported broadly. It is a mature and responsible thing to do for the State to make sure that we have good security and responsibility into the future.
On behalf of the Fine Gael side of the House, I support the Bill.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-07-07/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:09+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-07