Energy Policy: Motion [Private Members] Dail Éireann — 2026-09-17 ============================================================ Barry Heneghan (IND), Dublin Bay North I thank an Teachta Gogarty for describing me as eloquent. I thank People Before Profit for bringing this issue before the Dáil. Electricity and electricity affordability is probably my favourite topic to discuss. I studied engineering in DCU for five years and my thesis was on waste heat utilisation from data centres. Sometimes I hear people in this House speaking about data centres and the water they use. They are not looking at the statistics. I am not defending that they do use a lot of water but I note the recent Uisce Éireann report gave a figure of 0.3%. A lot of that water is in-house. With my politics, I am always talking about the current problem we face and what solutions we can bring. In the case of data centres, and this is already being done in Tallaght, we can use waste heat from data centres for a district heating system using a central pump to supply heat at a reduced cost to nearby buildings. I would love to see that being done at a faster rate. I commend everyone at district heating Ireland on the work they are doing. I support 100% the parts of the motion on electricity affordability especially those referring to disabled people, those with long-term illnesses and carers. In relation to protecting jobs, the next budget needs to support businesses in retrofitting, transitioning and installing renewables. This is particularly needed for SMEs and local businesses as rising energy costs have affected a lot of businesses. I will continue to push for this. For households, electricity is often essential for medical equipment. That equipment cannot simply be switched off and is often life-saving. However, I will not support the motion. It is not that I do not share the concerns about households but I do not support the motion’s call for a blanket ban on new data centres. I am not persuaded that the proposed levy provides a sound basis for recurring household support but am reminded of the old saying: “Give a man a fish, feed him for a day; teach him how to fish, feed him for life”. Rather than provide a once-off €500 electricity credit, for the same price you could provide nearly every household with a plug-in solar system. In conjunction with a battery, that would have a ten-year lifespan and would constantly reduce a household’s energy bill. This would be in circuit, built in. I agree hardship does not require us to agree on this, but while what is outlined in the motion and the €500 credit would provide immediate relief, what we should do is invest in all reliefs for what will come in the future. We need immediate protection and also lasting change. That is what a plug-in solar system, investment in batteries and the grid and decentralising our grid, and investing in green hydrogen, as Deputy Gogarty said, would do. Ireland is in a unique position because of our seabed and the potential of ORE. If another country such as Germany, which was mentioned here multiple times, had the potential we have it would seize it. From looking at records, I understand we had a lot of plans for our ORE. Sadly, the crash occurred and many of those fell through. We did have the only successful sale of an ORE system in the EU last year off the coast. I do not agree with a current one-off payment. I would like to see multiple payments for plug-in solar, batteries and smarter grids. We could give a €400 electrical readiness credit towards assessments. I do not want that to be used as a gazumping method by electricians as we have seen with BER ratings and solar installations. I am thinking of a €400 electrical readiness credit by an electrical contractor so that they could make changes to protective devices in the fuse-box for a plug-in solar system, or maybe change one breaker to make every house compatible or make apartment buildings compatible. We might change the laws to make it compulsory that every single apartment dwelling be allowed to use plug-in solar or have solar systems on the rooftops. If we do not allow people who are renting to have access to renewable energy that is not a fair society. We can see what Germany has done very successfully with plug-in solar systems. There were witnesses on this before the climate and energy committee before recess. If we are going to do a pilot scheme of these systems, low-income households should have priority as well as elderly people and those with a disability and there should be a workable arrangement for renters. There needs to be proper discussion of battery storage in the House. Before recess, I invited Energy Storage Ireland to speak in the audiovisual room. We had a great discussion on the potential of batteries to act as storage systems for the curtailment and dispatch down that we see constantly. That needs to be addressed. A panel can generate electricity when the sun shines and a wind turbine when the wind blows but a battery can help a household to use that electricity when it is needed. If used smartly batteries can be used when the cost is higher. If they are used as needed, smartly and with new systems being used with these batteries, it can really help people who are struggling. The headline warnings I saw recently regarding electricity underline how solar export payments need a clearer policy. If people have invested thousands of euro in solar systems in the belief that they will be able to sell back to the grid at a certain price, but other EU countries are warning that the price for selling it back to the grid will be reduced, that is something our Government needs to look at now. Those reports have already been brought to the climate and energy committee and I look forward to discussing them with my colleagues. I have already brought forward a Bill on data centres and what I would like to see being done at a faster rate. If data centres or any large energy user, LEU, across the country had an easier route to use solar, renewables or hydrotreated vegetable oil, HVO, to supply on-site generation at an easier rate, it would be very beneficial for them and that would in turn benefit the Irish public. It will not make sense to anyone who is struggling at the moment to hear about solar farms or wind farms waiting months for a connection. The CRU needs to examine this. It also needs to examine the tariffs so that they reflect the value of exported electricity and where customers can benefit from choosing their input and export providers separately like in any market. I spoke to professors in DCU and UCD during the week, and this needs to be done. I refer to data centres, the Government-commissioned study and the jobs associated with construction that have been referred to. Some of my friends work in that industry, including in the supply chain of development, construction and the wider spending effects. Some of those jobs in data centres are not permanent but they do represent a significant economic activity. Ireland's wider multinational economy has supported this and continues to do so, but not every single project is justified. Looking at the programme for Government, one of the things I was very happy to have helped negotiate was that data centres should be encouraged to use renewable energy. I favour and will continue to favour the use of renewable energy. I do not think a blanket ban can distinguish between projects on that basis. Likewise, as regards the 20% levy, while a levy should be examined, this one should not immediately be examined without a discussion that ultimately speaks to investment and the tax revenue of this country. I will speak about my electricity regulation Bill for the last minute I have. I believe that it will help connect additional renewable energy to the nearby demand, not only for data centres but also for energy sharing for a school that has solar panels and in the summer needs to share that energy that it is not using with a nearby nursing home or GAA club. We have one DSO. We need multiple DSOs, like other countries, because an energy monopoly is not good. I welcome the Government's emphasis on permanent supports; now I want delivery. Those proposals need eventually to face measurable results. I favour the immediate help and I hope that in the coming months we see plug-in solar rolled out, like the UK Government did on 27 August. Also, I would like clarity from the Department on whether, if someone is to order a plug-in solar system and plug it in now, that makes them a criminal for wanting to reduce their electricity bills. I commend and welcome the discussion on the motion. I always love to debate energy in this House. --- 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/dail/2026-09-17/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:48+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-09-17