MEP Colm Markey has said the Taoiseach Micheál Martin should seek an urgent meeting with British Prime Minister (PM) Liz Truss to discuss potential gas rationing this winter.
The Fine Gael MEP said that Ireland gets three quarters of its gas supply via pipelines to the UK while the rest comes from the Corrib facility in Co. Mayo.
Markey has said that because we rely so heavily on gas from the UK, the Irish government needs to engage with the PM on the issue.
“Ireland and the UK do not depend on Russian gas, but any shortages in Europe will inevitably have an impact on supply,” Markey commented.
“We need to plan for the worst-case scenario and I believe the Taoiseach should engage with the British Prime Minister to clarify what would happen in the event of an energy emergency.
“The environment minister will hold talks with his EU counterparts this Friday (September 9) and it is of equal importance that similar discussions happen with the UK.”
Uncertainty about gas supply
The MEP, who is also a dairy farmer, said that both the operator of the British gas grid and the UK Government have indicated that any reduction in supply will be spread evenly across the network, but Markey claims we don’t have a clear picture of what would trigger such a reduction.
“Unlike other EU countries, Ireland does not have gas storage capacity and is exposed due to its reliance on the Moffat pipeline. I am concerned that we have not yet engaged with our neighbours to discuss the crisis,” he added.
“We need guarantees that gas supplies are secure because ultimately it will be up to the UK to decide what happens should the situation worsen in the months ahead,” Markey concluded.
EU Commission
The comments from MEP Markey come amid proposals from the European Commission to tackle rising energy prices across the bloc.
The president of the commission Ursula von der Leyen today (Wednesday, September 7) outlined five different initiatives to deal with what she called the astronomical electricity prices for households and companies, and the “enormous market volatility”.
Her proposals include electricity savings, a cap on the revenues of companies producing electricity with low costs, and the imposition of a solidarity contribution on oil and gas companies.
Von der Leyen said: ““We will propose a mandatory target for reducing electricity use at peak hours. And we will work closely with the member states to achieve this.”