Sir, – Prof Eleanor Denny’s assessment of Ireland’s energy supply security (Opinion, September 2nd) was welcome, but very sobering. In a world where global oil production has already peaked, we require realistic discussion of how to meet our essential energy needs – not in the far future but in the next 10 years.
Dramatically improved energy efficiency and rapid expansion in indigenous energy production are both essential. For the latter, Prof Denny is surely correct that further exploitation of wind energy must be a continuing high priority. However, when she goes on to suggest that this rules out any development of nuclear energy, on the basis that wind and nuclear are mutually exclusive in the specific Irish context, the argument seems to rest on quite mistaken engineering assumptions. It is true that a single nuclear plant of 1GW would be too large for the Irish system, but there are commercial reactor designs readily available of smaller size (300-500 MW) that would be perfectly compatible with the existing Irish grid.
Further, while the volatile nature of wind power does require complementary “rapid response” generating capacity, there is also a substantial requirement for reliable baseload generation for which nuclear is precisely suited. But, much more importantly, any proper consideration of our energy options must involve factors going far beyond both economics and engineering. As we were recently reminded in your own pages (John Gibbons, August 25th) the now existential threat of human-caused climate change confronts us, individually and collectively, with an implacable moral demand: namely that we use every possible means to wean ourselves rapidly from our deadly carbon addiction. Those who would rule out any such means must be prepared to carry an exceptional burden of judgment by posterity. – Yours, etc,