Madam, - Your Environment Editor Frank McDonald wonders how we may reduce our dependence on fossil fuels (Opinion & Analyis, February 16th). He correctly points out that this will be difficult because of our reliance on oil, gas and coal both for transport and for generating electricity.
As he doesn't make any recommendation for achieving this desirable reduction, may I suggest that one positive step would be for the Government to abandon its doctrinaire rejection of the nuclear option and seriously to initiate some public debate on the desirability of constructing a nuclear power plant? Nuclear power would provide an economic and secure source of electricity and is available in plant sizes appropriate to the Irish grid.
Together with a reduction in energy wastage and an increase in electricity generation from environmental sources, nuclear-generated electricity would reduce our excessive output of greenhouse gases. It might even enable us to comply with whatever international agreement appears as a successor to the Kyoto Treaty. - Yours, etc,
IAN McAULAY,
Shrewsbury Road,
Shankill,
Co Dublin.