The Minister for the Environment has criticised the State agency, Forfás, for what he said was the resurrection of a distracting public debate on nuclear energy.
Dick Roche was speaking at a conference on sustainable energy in Co Longford this morning.
Mr Roche said nuclear energy was the least sustainable of all sources and there was something perverse about the argument being put forward that nuclear energy was in some way a solution to the world's global warming.
He said it was already proven that nuclear energy would simply pass on huge problems to generations to come.
The minister described the nuclear industry as ruthless and said the Government would continue to vigorously pursue the closure of Sellafield in Cumbria, England.
