Offaly ‘excelling’ in renewable energy but other counties need to ‘follow the lead’

County Offaly is “excelling” in its production of renewable energy but other counties need to follow its lead, the Dáil has heard.

The comments were made by Fine Gael TD John Clendennen during a debate on the National Oil Reserves Agency Bill.

Deputy Clendennen said: “Where we are today is a similar position to the one my county found itself in five or six years ago, when, overnight, a decision on a planning application showed that we could no longer rely on fossil fuels and carbon fuels.

“The Minister has visited County Offaly in recent times and has seen the progress we have made. That did not happen by accident.

“We took brave, ambitious and plan-led decisions at times when other counties decided not to because that was the easiest thing to do.

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“We need to plan for tomorrow now. Essentially, what that will entail is reducing our dependency on fossil fuels.”

He went on to highlight the amount of renewable energy infrastructure which has been developed in the county over the past decade.

“As for what we have done in Offaly, we have seen the development of a significant infrastructure of wind turbines, solar farms and battery storage.

“In January alone, with only two per cent of the country's landmass, Offaly was the top generator of renewable energy in the country.

“Many speakers come into this Chamber and tell us what we should be doing as a country. Maybe they should take that message back to their own counties.

“Everyone should step up to the mark and follow the lead that we have taken as a county.”

Deputy Clendennen mentioned the importance of education, particularly in the engineering sector.

He called for increased investment in education both in Offaly and across the country.

He also outlined the number of energy upgrades that have been carried out in the county in recent years.

“I also look at what we have done with regard to home energy upgrades. In the past five years, we have seen almost 5,000 homes across Offaly upgraded for home energy.

“This is a county where, in the last census, up to 50 per cent of homes outlined that they had a dependency on fossil fuels.

“We are taking those steps. There is a step change in Offaly, and we are doing this in an ambitious way.”

Deputy Clendennen continued by outlining the importance of rewarding local communities for playing their part in producing renewable energy.

“As I said, communities cannot be left behind from a benefit fund perspective. In Offaly, there is €50 million in the pipeline for a renewable energy community benefit fund scheme in the coming years.

“We do not want to spend it all on sports jerseys or scoreboards. We want to see long-lasting legacy projects like community centres and swimming pools developed in towns and villages across the county.

“The Minister should use Offaly as a pilot. We are ahead of the curve. We are pioneering in this space to ensure we get it right for the rest of the country.”

He concluded by recognising that €1.1 billion was allocated to energy as part of Budget 2026.