Taoiseach Micheál Martin has acknowledged Ireland will be “importing nuclear” energy once the interconnector with France is up and running.
He said when the connection is in place, “we will be, to all intents and purposes, supporting energy generated through France’s nuclear capacity”.
Pointing to recently-tabled legislation by Fianna Fáil TD James O’Connor that would end a ban on developing nuclear power, Martin said the Government will examine it and the “question of a legislative response in respect of nuclear” energy.
He was responding in the Dáil to Independent Ireland TD Ken O’Flynn, who called for the lifting of the 1999 ban on the development of nuclear power and the reversal of the 2021 ban on gas and oil exploration.
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O’Flynn referred to the Taoiseach’s comments, made earlier this week in Armenia, that nuclear power should be examined as one way to reduce Ireland’s future dependence on fossil fuels.
O’Flynn said: “Ireland bans nuclear energy at home while it imports nuclear-generated energy directly from France through the Celtic interconnector. That is not climate leadership, that is policy contradiction.”
However, the Taoiseach told him that at the summit of European leaders, “I made it very clear that our immediate focus was on offshore wind”.
“Our first priority,” he said, is “renewables, both wind and solar and also anaerobic digestion. We’ve made a lot of progress on those fronts, solar in particular”.
But he added: “I do believe we should have a serious examination of nuclear because we do need to work out costs [and] timelines.”
The Taoiseach’s calls for a serious discussion on developing nuclear power in Ireland has been described as “crazy” and a “distraction” by the Opposition.
Energy costs have soared due to the war in Iran. On Wednesday, new data from Eurostat showed Irish electricity prices are the highest in the European Union, with consumers here paying almost 40 per cent more than the average in the region.
Advances in nuclear technology, in particular around the development of small modular reactors, have lowered what was previously a very high bar required to build nuclear power plants, in terms of time and cost.
At a press conference on Wednesday, People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy said: “I think this whole nuclear discussion is crazy.” He argued “it makes no sense for a country like Ireland to develop nuclear”.
Murphy said there are “very severe” safety concerns with nuclear. He said one reason it appeals to some people is it “avoids having a conversation about data centres” and the power they use.
Murphy called for Ireland to “ramp up renewables”, adding that it should be done by the State rather than the private sector. He cited the hydroelectric power plant at Ardnacrusha, Co Clare, developed in the late 1920s.
Separately, Green Party Senator Malcolm Noonan said the debate over nuclear power is a “distraction” at a time when people are concerned about higher energy costs.
He said the Oireachtas Committee on Climate is the place to discuss the issue of nuclear energy and that it is currently examining the issue of nuclear waste from the Sellafield plant in England.
Noonan referred to a forthcoming action plan from National Energy Affordability Taskforce (Neat) that is expected to be delivered to Government by the end of September. He said it “needs to be brought forward as a matter of urgency before the summer break so it can be factored in to Budget 2027.”
Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín said his party was open to the idea of nuclear energy, but he predicted that not a single TD in Leinster House would welcome a reactor in their constituency – including himself.
The Meath West TD criticised the high level of energy imports and the lack of any functioning offshore wind turbines in the State.
He said rooftop solar was far speedier in getting renewable power onto the grid.
