The trade union Amicus said yesterday that it would be seeking a meeting, as a top priority, with the new Minister for Energy on its report which recommends that nuclear power be considered as part of a debate on future energy needs.
The report published yesterday by Amicus, on behalf of about 600 engineering and professional staff in the ESB, raises questions about the efficiency of wind-generated power, and calls for the establishment of a new national energy agency.
Amicus national officer Jerry Shanahan said oil and gas stocks would be exhausted within 15 to 20 years, and that a debate on future power requirements and capacity was needed.
He said wind energy was not efficient because if there was no wind no energy would be generated. If it was too windy the turbines had to be shut down for safety reasons.
He said the only viable solution was to store wind energy. He said wind energy could be converted into hydrogen, which could be stored and used later to generate electricity.
Mr Shanahan said funding in the National Development Plan should be redirected towards such technology.
The report said that the controversy over Sellafield had "biased" the public away from a rational debate on nuclear power.
Asked whether the public associated nuclear power with the Chernobyl disaster, he said the Chernobyl facility had been run-down, and that health and safety issues were not being managed.
"When you look at France, 78 per cent of energy comes from nuclear. Have you ever heard of an incident in France?" Mr Shanahan asked.
