The Government is being called to clarify its position on the import and use of fracked gas from the United States.

Dublin Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan was responding to a report that Fine Gael MEP's are in favour of removing restrictions on US Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) exports under Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations.

Ms Boylan said: "Ireland imports 89% of the energy it consumes during a year according to data from Eurostat and 98% of this is supplied by fossil fuels. Ireland is the 4th highest energy importer in the EU.

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"A 98% reliance on fossil fuels is unsustainable. Ireland should be looking to diversify its energy sources by moving away from fossil fuels and not seeking to replace one imported source with another.

"Ireland is already not on track to reach its climate targets, namely its greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets. Does Ireland have a well-thought out integrated plan to deal with this?

"Sinn Féin is committed to renewable energy and there should be a mix of renewable sources brought on stream.

"Sinn Féin has identified rich sources of renewable energy in Ireland which include tidal, wave, biomass and other forms of renewable energy.

"With proper focus from government, there is potential to create jobs, create energy and ensure a balanced and secure energy supply into the future."

(CD/MH)