OPINION: The case for reassessing nuclear energy in Ireland

Looking at the case for a move to nuclear energy in Ireland, a bill was put forward last week by an Irish TD to reverse the ban on nuclear energy in the country.

At a time when energy demands continue to rise each year and climate change becomes an ever more urgent challenge, countries are being forced to reconsider how they produce reliable, low-carbon electricity. Ireland has made remarkable progress in renewable energy, particularly wind power.

We should be proud of that achievement. Wind farms across counties like Tipperary are now a familiar part of the landscape and have helped reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels.

Yet renewables alone have not solved the problem of reliable electricity supply.

During a ‘Clean Energy Options’ talk in Carrick-on-Suir in 2023, an engineer with extensive experience in power generation called for the law banning nuclear power in Ireland to be rescinded.

Engineer Denis Duff, who worked in power generation for the ESB for more than three decades, argued that Ireland should at least examine whether modern nuclear technology could play a role in the country’s future energy supplies.

Economist Colm McCarthy echoed those sentiments, questioning why Ireland would rule out a technology before properly assessing its potential. Their argument was not that Ireland should immediately build nuclear plants tomorrow morning.

Rather, it was that the country should not legally prohibit discussion and investigation into a technology many advanced economies are increasingly revisiting. The concerns surrounding nuclear power are understandable but the energy landscape has changed dramatically in recent years, it has been argued.

Advocates say this evolution is precisely why it should be assessed on current evidence rather than historical fear.

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