Minister for the Environment Dick Roche today denied that electricity from interconnectors with Britain would come from nuclear power stations.
Mr Roche made his remarks shortly after the Chief Executive of the ESB Padraig McManus said that there was no way of telling if the electricity from interconnectors was produced via a nuclear source or not.
However, speaking on RTÉ radio, Mr Roche said the best way around the debate "is to decide who we are buying the energy from and in fact determine that we won't buy it from a source that is nuclear dependent."
"Nobody would say that because you are against nuclear you should not have an interconnector," he added.
He was speaking following the British energy review published yesterday which he conceded had "some good parts in it", especially in relation to energy efficiency on retention.
However, the Minister said the idea of building nuclear power stations is "out of step with what is happening with the rest of Europe".
"My biggest fear is that this is part of a capitulation to the nuclear industry which is a very powerful lobby," he added.
Mr Roche said that a review of Irish energy needs will be published in the near future.
