Energy report - A wake-upcall to our energy crisis

TODAY’S hard-hitting report from the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Energy is a loud wake-up call for Government, a landmark document that underlines the need for radical policies to ensure national energy security, based on affordable and dependable supplies, critical to the economy.

The report charts a road map for policy initiatives to satisfy Ireland’s insatiable appetite for energy. It is a forthright analysis and could be used as a blueprint for scrutinising other major problems facing society.

Committee chairman Noel O’Flynn pulls no punches, emphasising that Government must put a coordinated energy policy in place as a matter of national importance. Coming from a Fianna Fáil TD, his comments are as refreshing as they are unexpected.

Given Ireland’s undue dependence on imported oil and gas, with the transport sector gobbling up the lion’s share at an ever increasing rate, the current lack of joined-up policy is worrying.

According to its findings, 95% of Ireland’s fossil fuel requirements are imported while there is enough gas storage to last only two days. High dependence on imported fuel makes Ireland more exposed to the dual threats of price increases and supply disruption than any other state in Europe.

Besides placing the country in a potentially invidious position, it points out there is no guarantee on supply and the economy is open to price volatility.

Among its 38 recommendations, the report calls for an independent review of how to reduce our undue dependence on imported fossil fuel; informed debate on whether this country should go nuclear; far greater emphasis on wind and wave energy; changing from peat to biomass for electricity generation; creating three months’ gas storage; and exploring the production of biofuel at Mallow sugar factory.

Over 50% of all electricity is generated from gas and this underlines the urgency of getting the Corrib gas field on stream.

Citing EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, who identified the six main issues facing Europe as security of supply, energy mix, a climate-change goal, technology, fully competitive European energy markets and external energy policy, Mr O’Flynn insists that “if these are the concerns of Europe, then they must be the concerns of Ireland”.

Since the Energy Bill 2006 makes only a start on tackling such issues, the report portrays the main problem as a lack of coherent, strategic national energy policy.

In blunt terms, it accuses Government of more or less tinkering around with the energy crisis by “operating on the periphery” through initiatives which are “symptomatic of a piecemeal approach to policy”.

It would be hard to exaggerate the importance of a report which brings greater urgency to the energy debate, claiming Ireland not alone needs but deserves a coordinated energy policy that deals effectively with responsibilities and issues that cross several departments.

Considering the critical importance of energy policy to the broad economy, there is pressing need for robust debate on the vexed issues which have been brought to light by the joint parliamentary committee.

Setting the energy crisis in the context of the National Development Plan, the report is scathing of the Government’s lack of cohesiveness in policy determination where transport and energy are concerned. Under the current plan, energy infrastructure received €140 million compared to road infrastructure which received €6 billion.

As this far-reaching report states, the alarm bells are ringing and action to develop energy policies that deliver sustainability and ensure economic growth are an immediate national imperative.