The Government should invest in other energy securities such as electricity cables rather than liquefied natural gas reserves, according to Eamon Ryan.

Yesterday, the Cabinet signed off on a controversial plan to build a gas reserve off the coast of Ireland.

The floating facility will store liquified natural gas (LNG) and will be used as the country’s emergency reserve.

Aerial of Liquified Natural Gas LNG carrier moored to a small gas terminal. Image: Evgenii Bakhchev / Alamy. 4 February 2022

On The Hard Shoulder yesterday, Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy Darragh O’Brien said the LNG terminal will give Ireland “energy security”.

“We don't actually have a gas reserve here in the event of there being an unexpected disruption to our gas supplies,” he said.

“We have an oil reserve - it has been identified as a very significant risk to our energy security and stability.”

Today on Newstalk Breakfast, former Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said that while he agrees that energy securities are needed, there are other options than LNG available.

“There was ongoing work, which was ongoing as [the Greens] left Government, which was looking to see what exactly is the best way of providing that security,” he said.

“The way the Government is going, it will bring in a vessel, a ship, it will carry LNG and that floating ship will be there as a storage for security reasons along the coast, connected to the gas network.

“You can have it for 10, 15, whatever years and when you no longer need it, the ship leaves – so it doesn’t leave behind significant fossil fuel infrastructure.”

Liquified natural gas (LNG) ship in Suez Canal. Image: Rolf Richardson / Alamy. 10/2008.

Mr Ryan said another approach could be to focus on security in the power generation sector.

“About half of the gas we use goes to power generation,” he said.

“About a quarter goes to industry and a quarter goes to people’s homes.

“The real security risk is in the power generation, as we saw recently – you could be several months where you wouldn’t have that gas supply for power and that would be intolerable.”

'Electricity interconnection'

According to Mr Ryan, the Government should focus on “electricity interconnection”, which would see electricity cables built that could provide up to half our electricity needs.

He also said we should look into battery storage and a “strategic electricity storage system” that would only be used in emergencies.

“That combined with the battery storage and interconnection, in my mind, would be a more economic, more environmental and more secure response to what is a real security risk,” he said.

Mr Ryan said the LNG facility is a “valid and appropriate” response to the issue of energy security, as it will only be used in emergencies and therefore not increase the volume of gas used.

However, he said all the analysis that he had seen led him to believe that electricity solutions would be more effective.

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Main image: Eamon Ryan (L) and electricity lines (R).