Pollution fines could cost counties €50m
The warning is contained in a Limerick Clare Energy Agency (LCEA) report into local energy issues due to be published tomorrow.
A spokesperson for the agency said: “The study highlights Limerick and Clare’s love affair with oil and gas and the price we will soon have to pay for this relationship.”
The agency warns that Clare energy emissions are above the Kyoto target by 300,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
“By 2010 Clare could be 490,000 tonnes over and face a bill of over €22m in carbon levies,” said the spokesperson.
Limerick energy emissions are above the Kyoto target by 409,000 tonnes of CO2.
The spokesperson said: “By 2010 Limerick could be 713,000 tonnes over and face a bill of over €32m in carbon levies.We must move to more secure and sustainable forms of energy.”
An energy conference at the University of Limerick is to concentrate on the size of the problem facing the region, the cost of ignoring it and point to some solutions.
Speakers will include Dr Padraic Larkin, Dr Ed Walsh, Bernard Rice, Teagasc and Aodhan Fitzgerald of the Marine Institute.
Dr Walsh said yesterday: “The facts are quite unambiguous. Nuclear reactors do not emit carbon gasses and so do not contribute to global warming. Compared to other means of energy production nuclear power is safe.
“Death statistics reveal that energy production by hydroelectric and coal are the most dangerous, gas is safer, but nuclear is the safest of all.”
Dr Larkin said Ireland’s security of energy supply is vulnerable, being an island off the continent of Europe.
He said yesterday: “The recent Cap reforms and the geographic location of Clare and Limerick offers great potential to develop energy crops and renewable energy technologies, and this opportunity must be taken and fully developed.”
The LCEA was established in July 2005 by Limerick County Council and Clare County Council and is one of 16 energy agencies that form an all-island association.
However, the LCEA is unique in that it was established from local authority funding without any external assistance.
The agency spokesperson said: “The LCEA aims to provide energy solutions for sustainable development in the region. The agency will provide energy services to all economic sectors and the general public, promoting and facilitating efficiency sustainability in the production and consumption of energy.”
