Mayo needs to rethink its approach to future power sources
by Dr. Richard Martin
Storm Éowyn arrived and nearly blew us away out into the Atlantic.
The worst recorded storm since 1839. Climate change is real.
No matter what way we slice it and dice it the weather patterns have become turbulent and unpredictable.
The storm caused havoc. Fallen trees. No electricity. No water. No internet. No power. People trapped in their homes.
Truthfully, it was far worse for those living in rural areas. Those of us living in Castlebar near the hospital grid were by and large OK. The light flickered a bit the odd time, but it wasn’t too bad. We managed.
However, for people living in the countryside it was a disaster.
There is a move now from central government to gradually phase out fireplaces and stoves.
A-rated houses. Air to water. Blah blah. The A rated houses weren’t much good when the storm struck.
People needed the fireplace out of total necessity to heat the house and have some warmth and comfort. Mankind has built simple fires for warmth and comfort since Moses was in short pants.
Today we have Chat GPT, AI, iphones and rockets landing on Mars, but we still need the few logs burning to keep us going. Sounds quaint but it’s true.
The storm’s impact lasted a few days, but it has highlighted more than ever the growing divide between rural and urban Ireland.
For people like me in the town it didn’t put me out at all. For people living in rural areas or near the town it was an unmerciful headache and worry.
It’s probable that this storm isn’t an isolated incident. We are going to see more of them as the years go by.
In Mayo we live beside the Atlantic Ocean. It’s highly probable that we will see more chaos and destruction as the years move forward.
It was devastating to see the GAA dome in Bekan, Ballyhaunis, smashed to smithereens.
Can they put another one up?
Is it feasible? Is there a way to have a dome and then deflate it in time before a storm strikes?
John Prenty did stellar work in bringing that facility to our county. He did it before. He will do it again.
Where do we get our energy if we don’t burn fossil fuels? We live beside the Atlantic. Surely wind turbines could have a huge role to play as an energy alternative.
As the weather is becoming more turbulent it would enhance the productivity of the turbines themselves.
If massive wind turbines are going to be located off the Mayo coast surely, we the people of Mayo should see some benefit out of that.
We saw little to nothing out of Shell. Forewarned is forearmed. Let’s not make the same mistake twice.
The other alternative to fossil fuels in nuclear energy. The bottom line is we need to build at least one nuclear power plant on this island. It’s safe, clean energy.
There is no risk of earthquakes, tsunamis or volcanoes erupting. 72% of French energy is nuclear.
The Celtic Interconnector, which is a 700 MW high-voltage direct current (HVDC) submarine power cable between Ireland and France, will be operational in 2026. The project cost €1.6 billion and is worth every penny.
If a nuclear power station was to be built in Ballycroy or Leitrim or Waterford there would inevitably be huge protests by misinformed people who would be worried that these plants would produce cats with five legs, dogs with three heads or fish with four eyes and two tails. Marches. Protests.
They're good at jumping on a bandwagon. Strangely silent about Palestine though. Lots of chanting ‘nuclear power causes cancer’ and ‘we are doomed’ and lots of similar misinformed trope akin to the anti-vaxx brigade.
But the bottom line is from 2026 onwards we will be importing clean nuclear energy from France onto our lovely island via the Celtic Interconnector.
The very people protesting against nuclear energy will go home after a demonstration in an electric car, have a cup of hot tea, a warm shower and watch Netflix for a few hours in a bed with an electric blanket and guess what?
Where did all the energy for the heat come from? A French nuclear power station.
There has been much debate recently about the Asahi plant in Killala being converted into a data centre.
It should be converted into a data centre and the government should encourage and build as many as we can in this country.
We are not a country rich in natural resources, but we should play to our strengths and encourage as much investment from major multinationals as possible.
But guess what. These data centres consume huge amounts of energy. If we want to watch Netflix and work from home and use WhatsApp and Facebook well then, we need data centres.
Ipso dipso we need energy and if we don’t build wind turbines off the west coast of Ireland or nuclear power plants, we will then have to import the French nuclear and wind energy, at a price of course.
Nuclear power plants don’t just ‘produce’ electricity. Our hospitals would collapse in the morning without nuclear medicine. Clinicians need CT and MRI scans to accurately diagnose patients.
Patients take a diagnostic radioisotope called technetium-99m which has a low radiation dose. It’s safe. The radiologist can see the bone and soft tissue and spot sinister pathology and thus diagnose cancer be it colon cancer or liver cancer or whatever.
Our hospital in Castlebar and every other hospital on this island is dependent on nuclear imaging for successful diagnoses. Diagnostic radioisotopes have revolutionised medicine in the last 100 years.
Surgeons can’t operate unless they know what they’re looking for. Without accurate diagnosis and imaging modern day medicine would collapse. Hospitals use gamma radiation to sterilise medical products. It’s cheap and safe.
Radioactive iodine is used to treat thyroid cancer. The bottom line is this.
Every hospital in western Europe today is totally reliant on nuclear power for energy, for diagnostics, for sterilisation of products and treatment of cancer. It’s time we had an attitude adjustment.
This planet cannot keep cutting down trees and burning oil.
It’s not sustainable. We need energy.
Nuclear is the only game in town.