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Dáil
‹ An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business

Liquefied natural gas policy

Summary

Deputy Bríd Smith questioned whether LNG terminals were being advanced in a way that would undermine climate targets. The Minister said Government policy followed the programme for Government, while emphasising accelerated transition to renewable energy.

We are all aware of the many cheerleader Deputies who want to see liquefied natural gas, LNG, terminals built, but I want to come at this from a different angle. The Taoiseach was recently lobbied by Wesley Edens of New Fortress Energy, and only last week the same company distributed leaflets in the Shannon and Clare area promoting the use of liquefied natural gas and quoting all three coalition party leaders as being supportive of it. Are we walking into the building of LNG terminals in this country, which will blow up any hopes of us reaching our climate targets or of staying within the Paris Agreement limits, and gives two fingers to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, report and even to the International Energy Agency, which has stated that no new gas or oil infrastructure can be built if we are to have any hope of limiting the increase in temperatures? Will the Government recommit to the programme for Government and bring in legislation to ban the building of LNG terminals in this country?

Comment on this

The Government policy on LNG is as set out in the programme for Government. An energy security review is under way, with which the Deputy will be familiar. She will no doubt have heard the Taoiseach earlier today emphasising the importance of the transition to renewable energy sources and the importance of us doing that in an accelerated fashion. That is where this country and the Government are going in regard to energy policy because that is where the future is. We want to reduce our dependence of fossil fuel quickly, although certain fossil fuels will continue to be there as a transition fuel and a back-up fuel. The position on LNG is as set out in the programme for Government.

Comment on this