I wish to raise the issue of energy developments in County Galway. My constituency has seen some of the highest concentration of wind energy projects across the State. There are proposals for a large solar project in Monivea and two large-scale gas-fired generation plants in Athenry and Portumna. These projects are causing huge unease in communities. They are extremely divisive and they are all being led-----

Is it the two wind farms?

We have wind farms, a solar project in Monivea and two large-scale gas-fired generation plants being proposed in Athenry and Portumna.

Are all of them causing concern?

In general, yes. All these projects are very divisive. They are all being led by private investors that are only interested in extracting a profit from local resources and are not interested in the communities around them. The public consultations on these projects are nothing more than box-ticking exercises. There is no input from communities and many large-scale projects are in close proximity to residential areas. Everybody understands the critical need for energy security but this developer- and profit-led approach needs to change. Communities need to have real input and, ultimately, ownership of these projects. I ask the Taoiseach to look into the projects outlined and ensure there is real community consultation and guidelines where projects should be located.

I will say something at the outset in a broader sense. The Government does not develop wind farms. The Government does not develop solar farms. The prospect of doing that would involve a multibillion euro speculative kind of investment by the State, so they are privately led. The fundamental difference between us in terms of economic philosophy is that I believe there has to be a private sector and there has to be private sector investment in these matters. There have to be guidelines. The Deputy's point is interesting because he instanced wind energy, solar and gas, and there are problems with all three. We have a significant energy security problem. In fact, one of the biggest issues facing the Government for the future is energy security and how we provide for a growing population in terms of household energy, companies, business and industry and how we deal with the AI revolution that is coming.

We need a debate on energy, because if we are going to reject all three types, then we have a very bleak future from an energy perspective.

I am not rejecting them. I am just about talking about guidelines for where they should be going in.