In a net-zero energy sector, electricity demand in Ireland could increase from 31 TWh in 2022 to 80 TWh by 2050. To date, the direction of energy policy has been away from an electricity system comprising fossil-fuelled baseload and load-following generation plant towards a fully renewable system where the intermittency of renewables is compensated for by zero-carbon backup generators. Today, natural gas is the primary fuel for power generation and, importantly, compensates for the hours, days or even weeks when the output from renewables falls, at times to very low levels. As the capacity of renewables increases, a dependable net-zero source of backup power will be required. Ireland will not be able to depend on interconnection with other countries to provide this and battery storage will not be viable at the scale required. The only option being considered in national policy envisages green hydrogen being stored in geological formations until it is needed to fuel backup generation plant. The Academy’s report - Ireland’s Hydrogen Economy - highlighted the considerable technical and economic challenges that need to be overcome if green hydrogen is to play a back-up role in the Irish power system. It is uncertain whether these challenges can be overcome and, if they can, whether green hydrogen would be viable. There is no certainty, therefore, that the infrastructure to create large stores of green hydrogen and connect them to a fleet of generation plant could be completed in the 26 years to 2050. Small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) are being developed in many other countries to provide an additional zero-carbon power generation option alongside renewables. The Irish Academy of Engineering believes that Ireland needs to keep an open mind about the possibility of including SMRs in Ireland’s future energy mix. In doing this, the Academy recommends that the required institutional capacity and expertise be developed in State bodies - including CRU, EirGrid, EPA and ESB - to prepare for a possible deployment of SMRs if this proves necessary to achieve the goal of a net-zero energy sector by 2050. It is only if these steps are taken that there can be an informed national discussion on the possible introduction of SMRs and important issues - including safety and nuclear waste - can be meaningfully addressed.