Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 2 May 1979

Vol. 313 No. 12

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Nuclear Power Plant.

13.

Mr. Quinn, Mr. B. Desmond

andMr. Corish asked the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy when it is proposed to publish the terms of reference of the proposed public inquiry on the nuclear power plant at Carnsore Point, County Wexford, and if those terms of reference will be sufficiently broad to include consideration of Ireland's overall energy needs in the medium- and long-term future, in addition to matters relating to the installation, supply, security, management and environmental protection of a nuclear power plant.

14.

Mr. Quinn, Mr. B. Desmond

andMr. Corish asked the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy when it is proposed to hold the public inquiry into the proposed nuclear power plant at Carnsore Point, County Wexford, and if this inquiry will be totally separate to the oral hearing which may take place as a result of the third party appeals to An Bord Pleanála in the event of a decision by Wexford County Council to grant planning permission to the application from the ESB for a nuclear power plant.

15.

Mr. Quinn, Mr. B. Desmond

andMr. Corish asked the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy the legislation under which it is proposed to hold a public inquiry into the proposed nuclear power plant at Carnsore Point, County Wexford, and if the establishment of the inquiry will involve a resolution including the terms of reference of that inquiry being voted upon in the Oireachtas.

Mr. O'Malley

With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 13, 14 and 15 together.

I would refer the Deputies to the recent statement I made concerning the Government's decision about the ESB nuclear project. That statement made it clear that special legislation dealing with the building of nuclear power stations in this country and providing, in particular, for the setting up of a special tribunal to hold a single comprehensive inquiry, in public, into all aspects of the ESB project will be introduced in the Dáil. While the precise terms of the Bill have not yet been settled, it is intended that the proposed inquiry will permit consideration of the environmental and planning aspects presently covered by the Planning Acts and the Water Pollution Act and also such matters as health, economics, safety and security. The necessity to provide for appeals to An Bord Pleanála will not, therefore, arise.

An inter-departmental committee comprising representatives at senior level of relevant Departments is being set up to assess the ESB nuclear proposals in detail, as well as investigating all other relevant aspects of the project such as energy demand forecasts and all alternative means of meeting this demand.

Three meetings of the inter-departmental committee have already taken place and it is my intention that the committee will report to me before the tribunal sits so that their report can be published and presented to the tribunal. The proposed tribunal will, of course, be free to consider evidence from other sources.

Mr. Corish

Will the Minister ensure that experts who have experience in the building and operation of these nuclear power stations will be invited by him to give evidence?

Mr. O'Malley

It would be a matter for the tribunal as to who gives evidence. I would envisage that certainly one person at least with knowledge of that kind might sit as a member of the tribunal.

Mr. Corish

That is somebody from some other country?

Mr. O'Malley

Yes.

16.

Mr. Kelly

asked the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy if he has available to him an estimate, in current money terms, of the cost of building a nuclear power generating station of the capacity proposed for the Carnsore site.

Mr. O'Malley

As the Deputy is no doubt aware, the ESB have only recently been authorised to proceed with completion of the preparatory process of bringing the nuclear project to the stage where complete draft specifications and estimates of costs will be available. Until this stage has been reached it will not be possible for the ESB to furnish to me an estimate of the cost of building such a station.

Mr. Kelly

Has the Minister not got some kind of estimate in the Department, even to the nearest £100 million?

Dr. FitzGerald

Let him off with the nearest £10 million?

Mr. O'Malley

I have not got a definitive estimate in current cost terms and I do not think it would be possible for the Department or the ESB to give that with any reasonable degree of accuracy until, for example, it has been decided which type of reactor will be used in the station, because I presume the costs of reactors of different kinds vary considerably.

Mr. Kelly

Has not a planning application been made in respect of the power station, and surely that application must have told the county councils in round terms——

Mr. O'Malley

As the Deputy probably knows, the figure estimated by the ESB in 1973, when the then Government approved of this proposal, was £126 million. For a slightly larger, 650 megawatt station, the ESB estimate was £350 million in 1977 terms. I gave an estimate towards the end of last year: in terms of costs at that time—I was given this figure as indicative rather than definitive—it was £400 million. It is probably a bit more now.

17.

Mr. Kelly

asked the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy if, in order to expedite the work of the inquiry into the proposal for a nuclear power station, he will contact the groups and individuals, of whose interest his Department is aware, formally advise them of the impending inquiry, and invite them, even in advance of the establishment of the inquiry's precise terms of reference, to prepare such written or oral submissions as they wish to make.

Mr. O'Malley

Having regard to the wide publicity given to the Government's recent decision about the setting up of a tribunal of inquiry into the nuclear project, I do not consider it necessary to contact or advise any particular groups or individuals as proposed.

It will, of course, be a matter for the tribunal itself when established to decide whether to invite specified groups or individuals to make oral or written submissions to it.

Mr. Kelly

In the interests of public relations, from which the Minister has suffered a good deal in his time——

Mr. O'Malley

Like the Deputy.

Mr. Kelly

——would the Minister not agree it would be wise for him to lean over backwards if necessary in order to show courtesy, which has been conspicuously lacking until now, in his dealings with these groups, even to the extent of writing to them?

Mr. O'Malley

I have little reason to doubt that the groups concerned, numbering five or six, are well aware of the announcement I made of the Government's decision in February. The reason why I have little doubt that they are aware of what I said is that they have all commented publicly on it.

Mr. Kelly

That is true.