Ireland joins the ranks of other countries that have officially ditched coal, yes coal. Coal that 20th century power source that gave us global warming which too many places, like Canada, still use. We used to say that the future is renewable energy and it’s no longer the future: it’s today. Renewables are cheaper, more reliable, and not victim to the whims of an authoritarians who randomly attacks other countries. Renewable power gives Ireland predictable energy costs. It’s only a matter of time that no country uses coal so it’s in every country’s interest to get on the renewable generation as soon as possible.
“Ireland has quietly rewritten its energy story, replacing toxic coal with homegrown renewable power,” said Alexandru Musta??, campaigner on coal and gas at Europe’s Beyond Fossil Fuels.
“But this isn’t ‘job done’. The government’s priority now must be building a power system for a renewable future; one with the storage, flexibility, and grid infrastructure needed to run fully on clean, domestic renewable electricity,” Musta?? warned.
Jerry Mac Evilly, Campaigns Director at Friends of the Earth Ireland, appealed to the government to ensure oil backup at Moneypoint is kept to an absolute minimum and ultimately decommissioned. He also appealed for the government to prevent further development of data centers, which he said are increasing Ireland’s reliance on fossil gas.