Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action to discuss ‘Energy – Ambition and Challenges’

The meeting at 11am in Committee Room 3 of Leinster House will hear from representatives from Wind Energy Ireland, ESB Group, Dublin City University, the German-Irish Hydrogen Council and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Committee Cathaoirleach Deputy Brian Leddin said: “Ireland has enormous untapped renewable energy potential, particularly off the west coast, and there is a real possibility that we can supply large volumes of clean energy for Europe’s needs as well as our own.

“Until recently it was assumed that this resource would be harnessed in later decades, but it is now becoming clear for environmental and energy security reasons that it makes sense to accelerate these plans and develop offshore renewables at scale as quickly as possible.

“The Committee will conduct a series of hearings in the coming weeks inviting in multiple stakeholders, including industry representatives and officials from relevant government departments. We welcome this opportunity to meet with these stakeholders and look forward to hearing their views on this critical matter.”

The Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action has 14 Members, nine from the Dáil and five from the Seanad.

The meetings in Committee Room 3 can be viewed live on Oireachtas TV.

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.