The countries that will enjoy affordable and secure energy in the 2040s and 2050s are making their decisions now and Ireland cannot afford another decade of avoiding difficult conversations simply because the solutions – such as nuclear power – are politically challenging, a member of the lower house of the Irish parliament has said.

James O’Connor said in an article in the Irish Examiner that Ireland’s electricity prices are now the highest in the EU, almost double the electricity costs of some EU states.

O’Connor is bringing forward legislation to address Ireland’s statutory ban on energy generation by nuclear fission.