"Bring Ireland's Gas And Renewable Energy Into Public Ownership Now!" - Fiona Moran
Éirígí’s energy spokesperson, Fiona Moran, has reiterated the party’s call for the nationalisation of Ireland’s fossil fuels and renewable energy resources. Her call comes at a time of spiraling energy prices and a growing threat of electricity blackouts in the coming months. Responding to yesterday’s announcement by Bord Gáis Energy of an October price increase, Moran said,
“The price increase that Bord Gáis Energy announced yesterday means that 730,000 households and businesses will be paying significantly more for their electricity and gas from October onward. This latest price hike comes on the back of a similar increase by the company just last month.
Unfortunately Bord Gáis Energy’s customers won’t find cheaper prices by switching to one of their competitor companies as every energy provider in the so-called market is introducing similar price increases. The illusion of meaningful competition in the energy sector has been truly shattered. In reality every energy provider in the country is behoven to the whims of the same international energy markets.
Petrol and diesel prices are on the rise too
And those same energy markets that are causing electricity and gas prices to rise are also responsible for the increasing cost of petrol and diesel at forecourts across Ireland. Every family in the country is going to feel the impact of these surging energy prices during the coming winter. Every family in the country is also going to feel the impact of government energy policy that leaves us all the mercy of private companies and foreign governments.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Ireland’s vast renewable energy potential and known natural gas reserves offer a pathway to energy security and affordable energy for all our people.
Fifteen years ago Éirígí was to the fore of the campaign to prevent the giveaway of the Corrib Gas Field to Shell and its partners. The predictions that Éirígí made back then have come to pass. Today we are all paying the same market-set price for gas from Corrib as we are for gas from Britain, Norway or Russia.
Handing the Corrib Gas Field to the private energy companies has not guaranteed Ireland a source of secure affordable gas as the political establishment promised. Instead their failed policies have guaranteed that the Irish people are paying through the nose for their own gas.
Power To The People sticker carrying the message of publicly-owned renewable energy
And worse still the political establishment are in the process of handing Ireland's almost limitless renewable energy potential to the private sector as well.
Today Éirígí is again calling for Ireland’s gas, oil and renewable energy resources to be taken into public ownership. This is the only way to avoid energy chaos and extortionate energy prices as we make the necessary transition to a low carbon economy over the next ten years.
Through our Power To The People campaign we are building popular support for this new approach to energy - an approach that will put the needs of our people and our planet ahead of the greed of private energy companies. I would encourage anyone who agrees with our ideas on energy to join us in fighting for energy justice for this and future generations.’