Look to Norway for energy policy

Sir, – When Norway had the windfall of North Sea oil in the 1970s, the Norwegian government got into the oil business and set up Statoil. The Norwegian state not only owned the offshore oil on behalf of the people, but they then owned the means to drill it, refine it and sell it on the open market. Norway now has a $1.3 trillion sovereign wealth fund generated mainly through the activities of Statoil. Part of the current windfall of corporation tax intake should be invested in a nationally owned green energy company. Owned by the State, producing profits for our own sovereign wealth fund. Instead, we are looking for the private sector to produce energy using our wind to then sell back to us at a huge profit to them.

We could learn from Norway. The State should go into the wind energy business and create our own national energy company based on the Statoil model, and perhaps even sell energy back to the people at controlled prices or even allow each household a quota of energy per annum from the State-owned company. That would be looking after our future energy needs in a socially responsible way. Oh, to be Norwegian. – Yours, etc,

BRENDAN QUINN,

Enniscrone,

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