Review of our energy supply is lambasted as ‘f lawed’
THE Government’s energy security plan is fundamentally flawed and our supply risks becoming more ‘isolated and precarious’ every day, according to a stark industry submission.
In September, the Government published a report on the security of our energy supply up to 2030, against a backdrop of the crisis due to Russia’s war in Ukraine, soaring energy bills and fears of power outages.
In its submission to the Government, to be published this week, the Irish Offshore Operators’ Association (IOOA) criticises the energy review.
The industry body called for ‘urgent public hearings to examine all energy security options’.
The IOOA represents companies who would seek to expand Ireland’s oil and gas exploration, which has been severely restricted by the Government.
The body recommends lifting restrictions on producing ‘indigenous’ energy supplies, particularly natural gas and oil exploration.
The submission also identifies flaws in Government plans to deal with threats to gas supplies.
It states: ‘A detailed assessment of the potential for interruption of energy supplies through a range of risks including cyber-attacks, infrastructure failure through accident, war, or sabotage is clearly warranted.’
It also stresses that ‘energy demand assumptions’ used to underpin the review are ‘out of date and overly optimistic’.
Therefore, the submission to Minister Eamon Ryan’s Department of Environment, Climate and Communication, described the energy-security review process, and its report, as being fundamentally flawed.
It added: ‘Ireland’s energy security situation is becoming progressively more isolated and precarious every day because we have significantly lower levels of diversity of energy sources and options compared to all neighbouring countries referenced in the review documentation.’