Galway Bay FM Newsroom - The Managing Director of Supermacs, Pat McDonagh, has predicted that 10% of small businesses will be closed by the end of the year if the energy crisis isn't dealt with by the Government in the upcoming budget.
In a video posted yesterday evening on the company's Linkedin account he said that the energy crisis is a national emergency for business and will worsen as we go into the winter.
He added that the energy crisis is going to impact everyone, not alone the business world but also in the domestic market. He added that we are in a crisis situation and in a crisis situation; decisions need to be made in the best interests of the country.
Mr McDonagh also called for the windfarm in Derrybrien, Co. Galway, to be reopened immediately to address the energy challenge this winter saying that there are enough windmills for to provide energy for 40,000 houses lying idle.
Mr McDonagh, who is also the owner of 6 hotels under the Só Hotels umbrella , as well as 7 motorway Plazas, said the business had experienced a 150% increase in energy costs this year and predicted that the increase would rise to 200% by Christmas.
He also called for improvements to the planning process to speed up the rollout of solar energy projects.
