Calls for increased measures to reduce energy consumption
People Before Profit TD Bríd Smith has strongly criticised the Government’s announcement that they plan to build up to seven new gas-fired power stations.
Reacting to the news she said: “It is truly shocking that Eamon Ryan, a Green Party Minister for the Environment, is planning to build new gas-fired power stations. Fresh from the COP26 conference and the launch of the Climate Action Plan the decision to lock Ireland into continued fossil fuel use for another 25-30 years is a massive betrayal of not only the climate movement but of all those already suffering the full brunt of climate change around the world.
“The announcement of an extra 2GW of gas-fired power generation represents more “business as usual” when the Government should be taking action to increase renewable energy production and reduce energy consumption by limiting the growth of energy intensive data centres and promoting the use of public transport.”
This 2GW of gas generation is likely to be in addition to planned gas powered back up generation planned for future data centres to ensure they continue to operate in the event of there being insufficient power available from the grid and raises serious questions about Ireland’s ability to meet its carbon reduction targets.
Concluding, Deputy Smith said: “The Government’s Climate Action Plan has already “back-loaded” most of the CO2 emission reductions we need to make by 2030 and this announcement makes those reductions even harder by locking us into fossil fuel use for decades to come even as they promise zero emissions by 2050.”
