To make matters worse, five years ago, the then government, at the insistence of the Greens, banned exploration for natural gas off our shores. The rationale for the policy was to promote the use of non-carbon sources for electricity generation, but the move never made sense on any level. We still rely on natural gas for almost half our electricity generation, but 80 per cent of it is imported. So far, instead of allowing exploration for natural gas to resume in our coastal waters, the State is planning to take the lead in building a liquid natural gas storage (LNG) facility in the Shannon Estuary with the aim of giving us a strategic reserve by 2030. [ Irish people fail to understand how fragile our electricity supply isOpens in new window ]“Ireland’s position right now is one of pure hypocrisy when it comes to electricity generation.

Source: The Irish Times April 03, 2026 08:01 UTC