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thank the Deputy for his question. Onshore wind is the largest contributor to renewable energy generation capacity in Ireland, with approximately 5.1 GW of wind generation capacity installed. The Government is committed to achieving 9 GW of installed onshore wind capacity. Onshore wind remains Ireland’s dominant source

have more renewables. That will reduce the costs but we need to communicate that better to the public. More wind and more solar means cheaper energy costs in the long term and then we will not have to be putting together €750 million packages or providing energy credits … graphs, we are still not at the right level. Around 40% of our energy is from renewables, or rather, around 40% of our electricity generation is from renewables. There has been an onshore wind revolution over the last 30 years. It has caused pressures and challenges, of that

further from our climate goals, where the extra energy used by data centres is more than the extra renewable energy we have added to the grid through wind power since 2017, but is also driving household energy bills even higher. This is madness in the short, medium

must change. There needs to be investment in energy infrastructure, with the grid being upgraded and progress made on offshore wind generation, particularly off the west coast. Energy security is also an issue that needs to be prioritised, with alternative supplies being made available to ensure redundant energy

choose a renewables-led system, rapid offshore wind delivery and grid upgrades. It can demand side measures that cut bills, partnerships with communities that give people a stake and a say, transparent Government and value for money. Sinn Féin chooses energy sovereignty and common sense. We choose … exemptions, respect communities in County Clare and across the island, redirect the €1 billion to help accelerate offshore wind and grid resilience and deliver an energy system that is clean secure, affordable and Irish

demand flexibility and reducing dispatch down rates and allow us to be able to deploy our energy, and particularly renewable energy sources, at times when the wind is not blowing and the sun is not shining. It will be possible to store that energy and then deploy

have an incredible opportunity here for energy security and independence because of our massive wind resource, offshore wind in particular. We have the opportunity to democratise our energy system, give people cheaper bills and, more importantly, give them ownership of the energy system. We have the opportunity

greater focus on increasing our competitiveness, controlling costs where we can, delivering critical infrastructure and investment and, in particular, driving energy transformation by enabling offshore wind farms to be developed. The new programme for Government, which outlines our commitment to delivering for all people and regions across … productivity, with a focus on issues such as the cost and regulatory burden on business, research, development and innovation, planning and regulation, and energy costs. This will be an important plan, setting out how we can continue on our path of economic development, maintain our attractiveness for investment

increase grid capacity and generation. What we have done in a ten-year period, when we look at generation of energy, is we have doubled wind capacity and there has been more than a 1,000% increase in solar, with a very good pipeline coming forward for more … grid resilience is there. There are backups to ensure the grid remains safe, such as fault ride through, which is there for large energy users also. This policy is one that is agreed by CRU in consultation with stakeholders

vulnerable, which tackle the root causes of energy poverty. The Government is working at speed to roll out more renewable energy infrastructure, both onshore and offshore, wind and solar. This is already helping to bring down the cost of electricity and is the long-term solution to high

what plans the ESB has for large-scale long-duration electricity storage, but where we have good renewables, particularly in wind, we should be taking that energy and making sure it is there when there is a need for it on an ongoing basis. I would welcome

midlands and provides significant employment in the area. Offaly, Laois and the entire area is also becoming a potentially very significant energy hub, particularly for onshore wind, battery storage and so on. There is also rewilding and the placement of national parks potentially in the future, which

move ahead of it. That is exactly what we are doing in this area with the likes of those green energy courses, renewables and the wind turbine maintenance course that is provided now in Tralee, and many others, which are fundamental to fulfilling that training need

massive for households, and there is far too little available. The roll-out of renewables and our capacity to generate energy through onshore and offshore wind is far too slow. We in opposition have supported efforts by the Government to speed up the pace, but we are seeing

them with increasingly regularity as they run out. We must ramp up our renewable energy programmes in Ireland. Renewable energy is energy security with solar and wind to replace oil and gas. Backed up by the Celtic interconnector, we can break free of a reliance on dwindling fuel

Government perspective, for us right now, it is about action and about meeting our targets on the demand for energy. Our efforts are concentrated on capturing wind to bring the electrons ashore. Of course, we take electricity from France that has its source in nuclear energy. Nobody

exists among the general public for that. What we have been doing in recent years is concentrating on capturing clean energy. That is the one thing about wind and solar; they are absolutely clean. Nobody really talks about the storage of the by-product or the waste product … from nuclear energy, which is, in most cases, dumped at sea, albeit, we believe, in a very safe environment. We would be better to concentrate on what we have and the fact that would not have to import all that much by way of equipment. We have

stream later in the decade, but AI will use an awful lot more energy, by definition. We have a challenge between now and 2030 or 2031, that period by when, I hope, our offshore wind farms will … have gone through planning and all the rest of it and we can have had minimal objections and got the wind farms built. That will power our energy needs in the 2030s. It is between now and then that we certainly have a challenge and we certainly have

Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, and remove State exam fees; — increase the bank levy to €500 million, and provide targeted energy grants for small businesses, and tailored supports to increase uptake of Electric Vehicles for households and businesses; — introduce pilot trials of free public transport … make our bills cheaper and secure our economy's future by ensuring that Ireland becomes a net energy exporter. What kind of message does this send to possible wind farm developers who have enough to contend with from a Government that has not been exactly

Europe, community energy is thriving, in places like Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Scotland in particular. Communities are building wind and solar farms, district heating systems and energy co-operatives. They are lowering bills, keeping profits local and accelerating the transition, doing exactly what Irish communities want

about guaranteeing Irish energy security but about managing the failure of the Government to invest properly in offshore wind and to make the necessary progress to ensuring energy independence and energy security. Despite being warned of the dangers of this for years, Ireland continues to rely on imports

need to address why our energy is so expensive in the first place. Everyone in the House knows what we need to do, that is, rapidly scale up renewable generation. We are miles and miles off target for our offshore wind generation. We are doing well on solar … simultaneously help us electrify transport, decarbonise industry or move households away from fossil fuels. Almost all new renewable energy that is being generated onshore in this country through wind and solar is being gobbled up by data centres. It is affecting our efforts to decarbonise elsewhere

data centres, at least until our grid capacity increases and household bills come down. If this Government put more energy, pun intended, into developing our offshore wind capacity rather than developing more data centres, we might build the kind of resilience we need in our grid for industry

records in homeless numbers are set every quarter. The Government says it is pumping billions of euro into capital in energy development and yet all offshore wind farms in this country lie idle. The people of this country are not fools. They know someone is misleading them. They

artificial intelligence and definitely in the field of renewable technology, especially as we have seen some movement in offshore wind. We need to investigate wave energy as well, along with all other types of climate technology. We must also consider pharmaceuticals and particularly the making of new inventions