Member

Rightfully, much of the sentiment around this debate has centred around alternative fuels. However, alternative fuels are much more expensive—almost five times the cost of conventional fuels—and they are not widely available and often inefficient. In some cases, such as shore power facilities, they are not available at UK-Northern Ireland ports, and nor is grid capacity adequate. The Government ought to think carefully about the implications of this policy before pushing it through. In its current form, the proposal risks manufacturing cost increases for industry, business and consumers, rather than achieving decarbonisation.