Prices are one of the crises that we have to address-----

-----and this debate is on whether the price crisis is connected to the war. Yes or no? It is fundamentally important to look at all of the options and at what is happening, and that we get clarity on that. There are a number of complex factors involved here related to how we came out of the Covid-19 pandemic, and so on, but what is happening in Russia and Ukraine is central to why our customers and our households are facing very high bills at the present time. I say that because it is part of the analysis that one…

The immediate-term key is that we continue to monitor international gas and oil energy markets and to consult with our EU and international partners on appropriate measures, if necessary, to ensure energy security in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The European Commission is engaging with other countries to ensure sufficient and timely supply of natural gas to the EU from diverse sources across the globe in order to avoid supply shocks, including those that could result from disruptions. Nationally, my Depar…

Our Department is taking the lead on this. The Secretary General has set up a special energy security review group, which is meeting weekly. We expect to be able to publish a more detailed framework analysis to inform the public, other Departments and industry in the coming days or weeks. That analysis will look at a variety of aspects to this. We also need to look at further specific measures to help consumers, particularly with debt management, and some of the regulatory approaches we can take to help people thro…

-----while working with the IEA on that market security issue.

The Deputy is right that we went into this crisis in good stead because the National Oil Reserves Agency to my mind has done a very good job. We have a lot of stock. We have a 90-day stock that we are required to have under International Energy Agency rules. The majority of that is held within the island. We have even looked at some of the security aspects of that over the past ten to 15 years, while recognising that the national distribution system is not just one distribution system, but has regional characterist…

-----some of those stocks may end up back on the Irish market as physical stocks. I think that we are well served by NORA. In my experience, it has been giving good, timely advice on this crisis-----

-----and their presence is a reassurance.

Citizen engagement is at the heart of Ireland's energy and climate transformation. Local coastal communities will be central to the decision-making processes of community engagement initiatives as part of Ireland's offshore renewable energy journey. The Maritime Area Planning Act 2021 provides the legal underpinning to an entirely new marine planning system which will enable the realisation of our offshore renewable energy ambition by establishing a well-regulated and inclusive consenting process, with comprehensiv…

I agree with Deputy Ó Cathasaigh. There are a number of areas where we have to accelerate the roll-out of the climate solutions to meet our climate targets. The debate last night showed this. This is with regard to switching to heat our homes, sustainable mobility and offshore renewable energy. The Government is establishing a number of task forces to look to see how we manage this, particularly in the next three years. With regard to offshore renewables it will be about making sure we complete the auctioning, cons…

I agree with both Deputies. I was giving the framework of what we are looking to do. Within that, however, it is critical that in the planning application process there is real public consultation and that it is an open, transparent and engaged process. Not every project will get planning permission. It is critical that there are community benefits and that all of the revenue does not just accrue to private developers. It is critical the State has a central role in the transmission network planning. There are reven…

I had the privilege of participating in the national climate stakeholder forum on 22 March this year. The forum was chaired by Professor Alan Barrett, director of the ESRI, and focused on realising the opportunities presented by the transition to carbon neutrality in a fair and equitable manner. The forum comprised a series of one-day deliberative workshops attended by more than 120 delegates, who discussed four priority areas where we aim to accelerate activity, as I said earlier. The areas were offshore renewable…

It absolutely makes sense for us to make it public. This is part of the answer to the question asked earlier about how we consult. This is an example of consultation and it is at the early stage. Before we have even established these task forces to accelerate delivery on some of the key areas, we are working in a partnership approach. We listen to the NGO community, trade unions and the business community and get them involved and engaged. What we have to do is beyond compare in terms of the scale and speed of chan…

No one is forcing anyone to take on any of these measures. With regard to the likes of a solar farm, the landowner would obviously first have to decide to make an application. The success of such applications will be governed by grid connections and proximity to the transmission or distribution system as much as by anything else. The connection cost will probably be the key arbiter as to which projects are economic. With regard to something that Deputy Ó Cathasaigh said at a public meeting of concerned local people…

We are being ambitious. We have to achieve what was set out in the programme for Government, that is, at least 5 GW of offshore wind energy generation by 2030. The programme for Government commits to developing a longer-term plan to harness the estimated 30 GW of wind energy that could potentially be tapped into in our Atlantic waters. The Maritime Area Planning Act 2021 provides the legal underpinning for this new planning and development system, which will balance the harnessing of our offshore potential with the…

We could be more ambitious, and we need to be. The real issue is delivery. One of the ways to deliver is through regional co-operation. I mentioned that many other European countries are now involved in a massive expansion of offshore wind plant. It is not just happening in Europe, but also in America, Asia and everywhere else because it is one of the cheapest and best sources of power we have. We happen to hold the presidency of the North Seas Energy Cooperation group this year. This is a group of nine countries t…

I will try to answer those various questions in the short time I have. In response to Deputy Hourigan, I can say that the EU-US agreement does not impinge on us or force us in any direction. We have to make our own strategic decisions based on our own energy modelling and assessment. We always work in European co-operation, but in gas we are separated in effect from the European grid gas connection system because we are on the far side of the UK. On Deputy Bruton's question on the auction for the protected quota fo…

The Deputy is absolutely right to question this, because the very centre point of us delivering everything else is ensuring that we have the resources within particular State agencies to deliver. On that basis, officials from my Department have been engaging with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage with respect to the level of staffing required by An Bord Pleanála to process applications for renewable energy, both onshore and offshore, with a view to ensuring that there is sufficient and approp…

I do not agree. My experience of EirGrid, having engaged with the company for over 15 years, is that it is absolutely across its brief. It is highly capable, professional and has real expertise in terms of how we develop the transmission system and how we manage this incredibly complex project - this variable supply and demand balancing system. I look at the variety of projects which EirGrid has delivered over the years, including the east-west interconnector. There are projects progressing at the moment right acro…

I will be going to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform looking for delivery on the sort of numbers that CRU is looking for in its strategic plan. I think we will be able to recruit people, because there are a lot of people with energy expertise in our country. We need to see movement from the private sector into the regulatory sector. I think that has to be managed appropriately. There is a fairly wide and deep pool of people in this country with real expertise. With regard to An Bord Pleanála, that is …