Irish Gov Official11 Dec 2018 12:37
Matt Collins, a senior official at DCCAE, said an exploration ban would undermine efforts to provide a sustainable, stable and cost competitive energy system in Ireland.
“The proposed ban on exploration in Ireland would not reduce Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions. If the ban had already been law, it would not have helped Ireland reach its 2020 emissions and renewable energy targets. It is accepted the proposed ban will not help Ireland reach its 2030 targets or our 2050 emissions reduction goal,” he said.
He pointed to UCC Centre for Marine and Renewable Energy research, which concluded that even with a 80 per cent reduction of CO2 by 2050, Ireland would still be using significant amounts of oil and gas – though its role would be small, and combined with the use of “carbon capture and storage”.
“It simply does not make sense to ban exploration for Ireland’s resources and make Ireland 100 per cent dependent on imports for our fossil fuel needs in the future,” Mr Collins said