MacGill summer school:The Electricity Supply Board (ESB) will switch completely from oil to renewable energy supplies over coming decades, the company's chief executive, Pádraig McManus, has said.
Highlighting the scale of the task, Mr McManus told the Patrick MacGill summer school: "Think about it: switching from oil for renewables and the attendant complications and risks."
Speaking last night, he said: "All of this will take time: it is my belief that we will need to 'dig in' for the long haul and address these issues over a 25-30-year period." Energy consumption must be cut by 20 per cent if carbon dioxide emission targets are to be met, which could be spurred by fitting "smart" meters into all homes. These are being piloted in some homes.
"We have to make the effect of price visceral. Wouldn't it be great if you could see in your own home the actual cost of consumption, rather than wait two months for an ESB bill?" he said.
Defending the ESB against criticism that it is too dominant in the market, Mr McManus said the ESB had accepted that its market share had to fall. The ESB supplies 60 per cent of all electricity, and will no longer control three more power stations - Tarbert, Great Island and Poolbeg - after 2012.
Responding to the debate about nuclear energy, he warned that this should not distract policymakers from "the significant challenges on our plate. However, I believe that with more research, nuclear and clean coal will be among the options in our long-term policy mix."
The ESB has spent €5 billion on its network over the last 10 years, despite doubts it could be done, said Mr McManus.
Prof Edward Walsh said the nuclear ban in Ireland would be seen in time "as hilariously ludicrous", akin to past bans on the works of James Joyce, contraceptives and foreign games.
"Nuclear reactors do not emit carbon gases and so do not contribute to global warming. Compared to other means of energy production, nuclear power is safe. Death statistics reveal that energy production by hydro-electric and coal are the most dangerous. Gas is safer, but nuclear is the safest of all," said Dr Walsh.
High Irish energy prices, he said, have already contributed to the closure of the Procter & Gamble plant in Nenagh, Co Tipperary and the Coca Cola plant in Wexford. On Monday, the head of Intel's Irish operation said the company's costs in Kildare had once been the group's cheapest, but were now the dearest.
