Sharon Keogan warns Ireland unprepared for energy shocks
Sharon Keogan criticised Ireland's preparedness for global energy shocks, arguing the country is exposed and insufficiently prepared. She said recent conflict in the Gulf will drive prices up and that domestic policy choices have weakened resilience.
Energy security warnings
Keogan warned that the escalating conflict in the Gulf involving Iran will drive energy prices sharply upward and that Ireland is not prepared for that reality. She said this is not simply an external crisis but a reflection of domestic failings in energy planning.
Domestic resources and policy gaps
Keogan pointed to untapped natural gas resources off Ireland's shores and criticised the absence of any serious public conversation about technologies such as nuclear in securing long-term energy independence. She said such options are part of mainstream planning elsewhere in Europe but are shut down here before discussion begins.
Impact of past policy decisions
Keogan argued that successive governments have chosen a path that leaves Ireland more exposed, noting that the peat harvesting industry was closed without a viable replacement and that domestic capacity has been actively dismantled. She framed these decisions as having left families, workers and regions behind.
Cost pressures on households and businesses
Keogan also highlighted the continuing burden of taxes and charges on fuel and energy - including carbon levies, VAT and excise - saying they compound pressures on households, hauliers, farmers and small businesses as prices rise.
Concerns over MEK remarks and foreign affairs statement
Keogan commented on a recent reference to the MEK, noting that the Foreign Affairs Department last year issued a statement linking the group to terrorism. She said it was inappropriate for a senator to suggest the MEK could take over the government in Iran and that people in Iran would be horrified by such suggestions.
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This week, the world has been shaken by the escalating conflict in the Gulf involving Iran, a conflict that will drive prices sharply upward. And once again, Ireland stands exposed. Why? Because we are nowhere near prepared for that reality. This is not simply an external crisis, but a mirror held up to our own failings at home. For years, warnings have been sounded about Ireland's vulnerability to global energy shocks. Yet successive governments have chosen a path that leaves us more exposed, not less. We have enormous natural gas resources lying untapped off our own shores. We have not even had the conversation about whether technology such as nuclear could play a role in securing our long-term energy independence. These are not fringe ideas. These are part of the mainstream energy planning across Europe. But here in Ireland, these discussions are shut down before they've even begun. And instead of strengthening our domestic capacity, the government has actively dismantled what little resilience we did have. Our peat harvesting industry, which once sustained communities and could have served as a carefully managed transitional resource, has been shuttered without a viable replacement. Families, workers and entire regions were left behind in this decision. To make matters worse, the taxes, the charges placed on fuel and energy, from carbon levies to VAT to excise, remain untouched, not reduced, not reconsidered. And in the real world, these compound the pressures now facing households, hauliers, farmers and small businesses. The turn an international crisis into a domestic burden, shouldered by the very people least able to absorb it. A resilient nation prepares for uncertainty. Ireland deserves a real energy strategy, not avoidance, not delay to action. And I just want to make a comment in relation to someone that brought up the MEK here earlier on. Last year, the Foreign Affairs Department came out with a statement that that group was linked to terrorism. And here we have a senator in here commenting on them taking over the government in Iran. The people in Iran would be horrified to think that that could happen.
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