Development (Strategic Gas Reserve) Bill 2026: Committee and Remaining Stages
Seanad Éireann — 2026-07-16
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Timmy Dooley (FF), Clare

I thank the Senator very much. I think I made very clear what my understanding is and also what the Government’s position has been for some time. An emergency is when or if, and hopefully never, a significant rupture happens to one of the interconnectors and we need an emergency backup to get us through difficult times. Of course, all efforts would be taken at that stage to mitigate, insofar as we can, the demand and manage it. Certain circumstances, however, could arise where we would have no choice but to use what is in the strategic reserve, and that is what it is there for.
Turning to the Senator’s point about the position we have taken on green bonds and all of that, I still think that there is consistency in the approach and the policy here. We have sent very strong messages right around the world about where we are going with our energy mix. We are pivoting away as fast as we possibly can to a greener, brighter future for us, with less impact on the environment. Even if we move beyond the environmental necessity or imperative of doing this, it also gives us an edge in terms of energy security.
We have been debating for a number of years the necessity of doing this from the perspective of carbon emission reductions. What has happened since 2022, however, again referencing the invasion of Ukraine and the impact that had on the supply of oil, and the recent US initiative in the Middle East, the impact that is having on the Strait of Hormuz and the consequent impact on the global price of fossil fuels, creates an economic imperative, even if we choose to ignore the climate initiative or the necessity to address it. It is about having a supply of our own energy on our doorstep so that we are not dependent on the goodwill or bad actions of others.
We are driving ahead with that really aggressively, to the extent that recently the Taoiseach set up an office known as the offshore energy clearance house. This is to ensure there are no unnecessary delays or any of the bureaucratic stumbling blocks that often arise and delay major projects. I am sure we could speak about them for a number of hours here. I would not have to mention many and I am sure the Senator would identify them. The Government is absolutely committed to driving ahead with the agenda of previous Governments in moving away from fossil fuels.
Much and all as I would like to say that we can do that today, we have to recognise that we have to transition, bring our economy with us and cover, insofar as we can, any potential interruptions to supply. I hope the Senator will understand that from our perspective. I have set out the issues with commerciality and the ownership of GNI. As I said, there will be a Bill relating to the detailed operations of the entity, and we can have further discussions about it. I am not asking the Senate to have faith. This is just about the construction phase, addressing planning and getting us to a point where we can move ahead with all of that.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-07-16/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:52:17+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-16