IBEC welcomes planned nuclear debate

Business lobby group IBEC has welcomed the announcement by Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan that a Joint Oireachtas Committee is to hold a public debate on nuclear power.

IBEC Director General Turlough O’Sullivan said: "No single solution exists. All options must be considered; wind, biomass, wave, biofuel and nuclear. The appropriate mix for Ireland can only be determined by an informed debate and robust economic analysis.

"The need for this debate is pressing as a secure and competitive supply of energy is crucial to economic growth. For Ireland, energy presents a particularly difficult challenge, given our limited indigenous fossil fuel resources and our geographical position on the edge of Europe.

"There is a urgent need to change the way we meet our energy requirements. Concern about climate change and the price and availability of traditional energy sources all point to the need for diversified low-carbon energy sources."