Ireland Explores Nuclear Power as Energy Crisis Deepens

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) is preparing a Decarbonised Electricity System Study (DESS) that will evaluate 30 low-carbon technologies, retaining nuclear on its shortlist while discarding options such as wave energy. The SEAI’s study, to be submitted to the Government early next year, will feed into a white paper that Minister for Climate Darragh O’Brien must deliver by the end of 2027. The DESS will present at least nine scenarios that map technology availability to Ireland’s decarbonisation pathway toward 2050, placing on-shore wind as immediately viable and positioning hydrogen, small modular reactors (SMRs) and conventional nuclear for later deployment.

The Irish Times

Earlier, in July of the previous year, O’Brien told an Oireachtas committee that nuclear power was “not on the table.” The position changed after a fresh energy crisis linked to the war in the Middle East, when Taoiseach Micheál Martin urged reporters in May to “examine seriously” nuclear options. The government’s attitude has therefore moved from outright exclusion to active assessment within a year.

The Irish Times

A stakeholder forum comprising the Department of Climate, energy firms, universities, engineering groups and environmental NGOs has provided feedback that prompted the SEAI to broaden its review from SMRs alone to include conventional large-scale reactors. Fianna Fáil TD James O’Connor has secured party backing to draft legislation that would repeal the law banning nuclear generation, with the bill expected in the Dáil this autumn.

The Irish Times

Energy experts have offered mixed reactions. Dr Barry Hayes, associate professor of electrical power systems at University College Cork, welcomed the inclusion of nuclear in the DESS, arguing that a thorough assessment is prudent given global interest in the technology. Conversely, commentator John FitzGerald has argued that Ireland’s market is too small to justify a nuclear power plant.

The Irish Times

If the DESS concludes that nuclear can be integrated cost-effectively, Ireland could see SMR deployment by 2040 and conventional reactors by 2055, according to forum participants. The upcoming white paper will crystallise the government’s policy direction, and the anticipated legislation will determine whether legal barriers to nuclear construction are removed.

The Irish Times