180. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to respond to the open letter (details supplied) to you signed by over 1000 people and approximately 40 environmental groups calling for a ban on LNG terminals. [75120/26]

In March 2025, I received Government approval to develop a State-led Strategic Gas Emergency Reserve. The delivery of this gas reserve is critical to Ireland’s energy security during Ireland's transition to indigenous, clean renewable energy. Crucially, the Strategic Gas Emergency Reserve will also ensure compliance with EU standards and regulations.

In 2025, my Department published an updated analysis of security of energy supply in Ireland beyond 2030 which considered the ability of increased interconnection and battery storage to secure Ireland's energy system. This analysis informed the Government's decision to proceed with a Strategic Gas Emergency Reserve as the best option to secure Ireland's energy systems as a transitionary measure which will be divested when no longer required.

This Government remains committed to taking decisive action to radically reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and has greatly boosted the share of renewables in our increasingly electrified energy system. Ireland has recently reached 8GW of renewable electricity capacity and almost 50% of electricity came from renewable sources in February and in March of this year.