Sinn Féin spokesperson for Climate, the Environment, Energy and Transport, Pa Daly TD has criticised the government for presiding over Ireland’s creaking water and energy infrastructure.
Commenting on the meeting held today between ESB officials and Sinn Féin TDs, the Kerry TD said:
“Today, I organised a meeting between Sinn Féin TDs and ESB to discuss ongoing power outages in the midst of Storm Éowyn.
“The impact of this storm has been utterly devastating. At its peak, 768,000 properties were without power because of Storm Éowyn, 120,000 homes lost water and 160,000 to broadband.
“Communities affected faced very significant difficulties just to meet their most basic needs, along with significant financial impacts and the isolation experienced by so many in the absence of power, light, heat and telecommunications.
“I want to commend the incredible work of the workers out day and night trying to restore power, water and broadband to people’s homes. However, serious concerns remain.
“In advance of this meeting, I have been contacted by many households who remain in extremely precarious situations.
“Seven days have already passed and the goal-posts keep moving, with the date that households can expect to be reconnected stretching out further and further into February.
“Other households have not even been given a date for reconnection.
“This uncertainty, on top of everything else, is extremely frustrating.
“At the same time, while Storm Éowyn was obviously an extreme weather event that brought significant challenges, power outages are not a unique event in Kerry.
“One constituent I was contacted by experienced over 20 power outages last year alone.
“This is not good enough.
“Clearly, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have presided over an energy infrastructure that is not fit for purpose.
“These deficits must be urgently addressed.
“We need energy infrastructure that is not only resilient to extreme weather events but also one in which repeated power outages are not seen as the norm.”
“I will continue to fight for this for the people of Kerry and to hold this government to account.”
