Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 March 2017
63. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the effects he anticipates Brexit will have on Ireland's gas supply; and the measures he is taking to deal with this. [13885/17]
View answer78. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the steps he is taking to secure Ireland's energy future following the United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU. [13892/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 63 and 78 together.
Energy is a priority sector for Government in considering the impact of Brexit. The energy systems of Ireland and the United Kingdom are interdependent with a large amount of Ireland’s energy supply being imported from the United Kingdom, and the Single Electricity Market in operation across the island of Ireland.
The four key Brexit energy priorities identified by Government are:
- maintaining trade in secure supplies of energy between the EU and UK;
- maintaining the Single Electricity Market across the island of Ireland;
accommodating Ireland's ability to meet EU obligations; and
- ensuring appropriate energy infrastructure.
There is excellent co-operation between Ireland and the UK on security of energy supplies and all avenues will be pursued within the channels of communication, both at national and EU level, to ensure this remains the case post-Brexit. It must be remembered that Ireland is not the only EU Member State with energy interconnections with the UK. France, Belgium, and the Netherlands are also connected to the UK through electricity interconnectors or gas pipelines.
The EU has made the decision not to negotiate on any issues relating to Brexit until after Article 50 has been invoked. However, while attending meetings, such as the recent Energy Council, I seek out discussions with Ministers from other Member States. Through these meetings I raise awareness of how Ireland may be impacted by Brexit and what our key concerns and priorities are.
In addition, officials from my Department have discussed the potential impacts of Brexit on the Irish energy sector with their EU and UK counterparts. This includes meetings with the European Commission task force for Brexit, the European Commission's Directorate-General for Energy and officials from the UK's Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
This work will continue at political, diplomatic and official level to ensure Ireland’s energy needs are understood and prioritised in the forthcoming negotiation process.
