On Monday 6th February Minister Naughten hosted the All-Island Brexit Civic Dialogue on Energy in Co. Roscommon. Over 65 representatives from the energy industry, community groups, political groups, and academia attended to discuss the potential impact of Brexit on the energy sector across the island.
The Civic Dialogue was held in the memorable surroundings of King House Historic and Cultural Centre in Boyle, where participants were able to take time off from discussing Brexit and the energy sector to learn about the Connaught Rangers and/or the King family. The discussion focused both on the potential risks to the Irish energy sector from Brexit, as well as the potential opportunities.
The risks discussed included the fear of tariffs, the risk to the all island Single Electricity Market, the risk to security of supply to the island, and the potential divergence of energy and climate policies between Ireland/EU and the UK.
The opportunities discussed included the potential to export clean energy to the UK, becoming self-sufficient in energy, and becoming leaders in innovation and research. Participants stressed the importance of keeping energy high on the agenda when the negotiations begin between the EU and UK. The Government has highlighted energy as a key priority for Ireland during the Brexit negotiations.
The
speech that the Minister gave on the day is available on the website's speeches section. The opening
presentation that was given by the department is also available. This gives further background on Ireland's energy sector and the potential impact of Brexit.