Sir, – Government negligence across the political board has led to little public understanding of the other low-carbon, sustainable energy option for providing the basic supply for support of renewable energy – small nuclear reactors. By all means, increase wind, particularly offshore, but remember it is irregular and unreliable – just consider the recent lull and emergency restoration of coal power generation at Moneypoint; such lulls may well become more common and are one more challenge to a developing a carbon-neutral energy system heavily reliant on a single renewable resource.
Our Government, all parties, TDs and Senators, particularly those whose counties are already blighted by wind turbines and threatened by more, should be talking about the only alternative left: a small proportion of electricity generated by the most suitable of the small modular reactors nearing completion and licensing in the US and Canada. These could gradually replace natural gas as baseload to increasing, but unreliable, renewable systems. This requires countrywide public consideration of how and why nuclear could provide the answer to our exceedingly dicey national situation further exacerbated by data centres. – Yours, etc,
ANNE BAILY,
Carrick-on-Suir,
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Co Tipperary.