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

To be consistent, we purchase oil and gas on the commodities markets and that is the intention here. We are not going to stray from that. We need to look at the bigger picture as to what our ultimate objective is. I do not agree with the Senator's comments about a Trojan horse. Our objective is to have a safety mechanism to address any rupture to the security of supply as we transition from the use of fossil fuels to a greener economy. If I was arguing that we should now be taking fracked gas from the United States or wherever, through an injection point into the grid as a method of reducing the overall cost of energy, the Senator's argument would be well made. I am not minimising the Senator's argument but it would have more validity. We are just looking at this as a methodology for transitioning away from fossil fuels. All fossil fuels are harmful to the environment. The Senator is right that methane has a much higher concentration and is more impactful by what is referred to as the carbon dioxide equivalence. It is much greater than carbon dioxide but it also has shorter life in the atmosphere. It dissipates over time whereas carbon dioxide does not. Let me be clear that I am not making the case for methane. I am just making a point. From our perspective, we are trying to put in place that security piece on a transition. We recognise that the wind is not always blowing, the sun is not always shining and battery storage is not where it needs to be right now. Of course in all of those there will be greater advances and I have indicated that we have great hope for hydrogen and ammonia as the ultimate enablers to decarbonise our entire energy mix. Instead of depending on electrons, which is the electrification everybody is talking about, there is a recognition now here and across Europe that we will need some liquid or gas molecules as part of the future. Hydrogen is more likely to be the source of that energy. The Department is working on a longer-term strategy on hydrogen. We have had good engagement on it. I spoke at a couple of events recently. As part of the pre-Presidency work Hydrogen Ireland had brought its counterparts from around Europe to an event in UCD to show that there are opportunities emerging here from the potential for hydrogen as we capture more offshore wind and convert to hydrogen. There is a better future ahead. The Trojan horse here is about getting away from fossil fuels and towards a cleaner, safer and more secure supply of a resource and an energy that is within our own remit and grasp. I thank the Senators for their contributions.

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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