Fianna Fail is urging Minister Eamon Ryan to explain why he is ignoring the advice of Ireland’s energy regulator when it comes to the need for an LNG terminal in Ireland.

The party's MEP, Billy Kelleher, said: "If a Govt minister can ignore the expert advice of a regulator, surely, this is not acceptable.

"Minister Ryan seems to be concerned about locking Ireland into a fossil-fuel future. It’s clear from Ms. MacEvilly’s statement that she believes an LNG facility can be future-proofed to ensure it can be used for other processes when gas will not be central to our energy security.

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"The agnostic and head in the sand position of the Irish Government needs to end. Minister Ryan, as the responsible line minister, must listen to our Energy Regulator. As our energy minister, he must do what is in Ireland’s best interest. That is his sole responsibility.

"Our energy mix will be dominated by renewables in the next 10 years if the government gets on with the process of rolling out off-short wind energy, but some form of gas will also be part of the mix. That’s why we need an LNG facility in Ballylongford, Co. Kerry."