Energy Summit at Government Buildings
The Taoiseach, along with the Tánaiste and Minister Eamon Ryan, convened an Energy Summit at Government Buildings on Thursday the 6th of July.
The event brought together private, public and voluntary stakeholders in the energy sector including MaREI’s Dr Paul Deane from University College Cork and James Carton from Dublin City University.
The Summit on Energy Independence: Realising the Opportunities for Ireland brought together representatives from the private, public and voluntary sectors to discuss Ireland’s decarbonisation of its energy systems. The Summit provided an opportunity for participants, whose combined efforts will be vital to delivering Ireland’s climate and energy policies, to discuss how best to position Ireland to reap the environmental, economic and social benefits of moving away from fossil fuels and towards indigenous, renewable energy sources. Participants were also able to share their perspectives and ideas on how the transition can be most effectively undertaken.
Climate change means there is an urgent need to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Russia’s war in Ukraine has also exposed vulnerabilities in Europe’s energy supply that presents Ireland with an added imperative to quickly shift away from imported fossil fuels and to accelerate the exploitation of indigenous, renewable energy that Ireland has in abundance.
The opportunities that the energy transition presents for Ireland are manifest. There is a need to quickly overcome any impediments to progress, accelerate delivery and reap the benefits for the people of Ireland.
Attendees discussed what can be done to accelerate the delivery of renewable energy, how best to ensure energy security and resilience during and after the transition, and ways to realise the economic and social benefits that this transformation presents.
Key questions to be addressed at the summit include:
• How can we most effectively drive the transition towards energy independence?
• Can we identify and seize the economic, industrial, and social opportunities that this presents for Ireland?
• How will we best ensure our own energy security and resilience into the future?
• How do we fairly distribute the costs and benefits from the energy transition?
• Can we contribute to broader energy security by quickly harnessing our renewable potential and making it available for export?
Read more here.
Energy Workshop at the #Taoiseach's office today, representatives across the Island
Summary:
– Energy Independent within a generation
– Collective collaboration
– People, Skills, Education & Planning
– Biodiversity
– Community people's voice
– Green Hydrogen
– Decarbonisation pic.twitter.com/xDdWiICL82— James Carton (@EAASolutions) July 6, 2023
Thank you to everyone who attended today’s Energy Summit in the Department of the Taoiseach. I believe Ireland can become energy independent within a generation. This is our moonshot, giving us energy security and price stability, as well as reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. pic.twitter.com/qBEwbDM3JK
— Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) July 6, 2023
