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Article on Energy Security - Sunday Business Post 16th July 2006
Article in Sunday Business Post – 16th July 2006.
The reaction of Irish Ministers to the UK Governments energy disappoints me. It brings to mind that old cliché: an Irish solution to an Irish problem.
Ireland does not need to develop a nuclear power station in this country. But that does not mean that we should oppose other countries who do opt for nuclear power, particularly as we connect to the European electricity grid.
Any sovereign state has the inalienable right to determine policies it sees fit to meet the challenges that nation might face, subject of course to rules of international law. We cherish and guard that right for ourselves and others. Yet, on occasion we seem not to afford that same courtesy to our neighbours the Government of the United Kingdom. Surely they are entitled to adopt solutions to the global energy challenge as they see fit?
I disagree with the responses of Ministers Dermot Ahern and Dick Roche to the British Government’s decision. Whether they choose to admit it or not, we do derive benefit from theUK nuclear industry. Every day we import electricity from the UKthrough the interconnector (pipes which carry electricity from Scotland.) There is no doubt but that some of this electricity is generated by nuclear power. Ireland is dependent on that energy.
If our European neighbours stopped producing energy form nuclear power there would be an even greater demand on the limited world oil and gas supplies. Given our location at the very end of any supply chain and our small size, we would not be much of a priority for suppliers. There would be even less available for our needs.
There is a certain hypocrisy in criticising another country for planning to build new nuclear power stations while turning a blind eye to the fact that we ourselves import nuclear generated energy. It is nonsense to suggest that we can isolate nuclear generated electricity from other sources as it comes through the interconnector. We need to be pragmatic. It ill behoves us to chastise another country for a policy which produces a very real benefit for us.
Accepting nuclear generated electricity is not I believe inconsistent with the Irish Government’s concerns over safety at Sellafield. Both Ministers have done the country a great service by their persistent highlighting of the mismanagement of Sellafield which has achieved a greater co-operation between the UK and Irish Governments in sharing information on emissions. Unsurprisingly, our experience of Sellafield has tainted Irish peoples attitude to nuclear power.
Next autumn, the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources intends holding hearings on the question of nuclear power and Ireland. It is timely that we do have such a debate given the volatile nature of the energy sector. We need to have a reasoned debate as to why nuclear is not the preferred option for Ireland and the response needs to be based on science and economics, not populism.
We in the Progressive Democrats have already done research and produced an energy policy, “Power to the People”. We have arrived at the conclusion that given our favourable conditions for the development of renewable energies, and the size of our market, the development of a nuclear industry in the country is not economically viable. I do believe however that it is wise to keep an open mind on nuclear generated electricity inEurope, and I do look forward to the debate which is to come.
The energy question is the most critical political challenge we face. The introduction of the Kyoto protocol and attempts to reduce carbon emissions, add to the complexity of any solution. In responding to the energy challenge three factors are of paramount importance: Security of supply, environmental sustainability and price.
To most of us at home, it is this last element, the escalating electricity, gas and oil bills, that has most direct relevance. What can government do to contain rising prices? The honest answer is not a whole lot. Oil prices are determined in the global marketplace and fluctuate with the vagaries of geo-political circumstance. In the past 18 months oil has gone from $30 a barrel to current the price of $75 and it is predicted to continue on this upward trajectory. Given our overdependence on imported oil and gas we are particularly vulnerable to price spikes.
The mechanism to mitigate against these rising energy costs is to develop an indigenous energy industry. This goes to the heart of the security of supply issue. We desperately need to diversify our sources of energy.
Luckily we have the Corrib Gas field which has the capacity to make a significant contribution to meeting Ireland’s gas needs. This resource must be extracted and put to use for the benefit of the nation with all haste. It is well acknowledged that Ireland has the most favourable conditions for the exploitation of wind for electricity generation. Equally our coastal location presents opportunities in harnessing wave energy.
After a sluggish start Government has begun to realise the possibilities and the opportunities the renewable sector provides for the country. We will exceed our target of 13.5% of energy from renewable sources by 2010. My ambition for the country is to make Ireland the R& D global capital in the renewable sector much as we did with the IT industry in the 1990s where a concerted policy framework was put in place to attract IT companies to Ireland. This is utterly possible if there is the political will to drive it.
Because of the growing threat of climate change, the Kyoto protocol requires us to limit our Co2 emissions. Ireland has a particularly big challenge to surmount to reach our target given that so much of our economic growth took place since 1990 (the date against which we are benchmarked). If we fail we will be subject to huge fines. One of the big attractions of nuclear power is that is does not emit Co2, and this is undoubtedly been a factor influencing theUK’s energy policy plans. Renewable energies also offer this advantage. It is just another reason why we should be forging ahead with ambitious renewable energy proposals.
Dermot Ahern, Dick Roche and I share something in common. We all have the Irish Sea lapping up against our constituencies and we are all up for re election next year. We need to keep mindful that what is in the national interest is also in the interests of our constituents.
The key to rising to the energy challenge in Ireland involves improving efficiency; the cost of saving a megawatt of electricity is a fraction of the cost of generating one, but principally the challenge lies in developing a diversity of indigenous energy sources. We may make certain decisions for our own particular reasons but let us not criticise another nation for doing the same.