Rose Conway-Walsh: Demands action on 20-year wind gap

Go raibh maith agat. Minister, I requested this issue of renewable energy to be discussed tonight because I'm absolutely dumbfounded that we're now finishing another year without the national guidelines for wind turbines. There are no national guidelines. I just cannot believe that we're in the last week and we still don't have it. It's absolutely outrageous that we're developing onshore wind energy with planning guidelines that are 20 years old. 20 years old. It's crazy. I mean, how are we to be taken serious about climate change or about what we need to do in that area? But communities surrounding the proposed wind turbine developments in Mayo deserve better. These communities are crying out for national guidelines that will force the developers in who are developing wind energy to adhere to guidelines. But there's no guidelines. In the absence of guidelines, it's like a free-for-all. They deserve respect and they deserve proper, meaningful consultation. The saturation of onshore wind farms without any guidelines in Mayo is a growing concern. In Tiroli, the Tiroli wind farm along the Lachen-Cagie coast disregards 6,000 years of cultural heritage, never mind the effects on the ecology and the biodiversity in a special area of conservation. And we recently launched a hugely ambitious tourism plan. The Ghaeasaile, Mount Jubilee and Shireagh communities alongside the proposed Mingmore area again disrupts an area with some of Ireland's rarest species, with the proposed site sitting on healthy, functioning blanket bog, a priority EU habitat and a major natural carbon sink. The project involves draining substantial peatland areas and Eris's economy, as you know, is heavily dependent on tourism, relying on unspoiled landscapes along the Wild Atlantic Way. The erection of 180 metre high turbines will cause significant visual blight, undermine the region's tourism and appeal and threatening local businesses and livelihoods. And that's a quote from the local Eris Chamber of Commerce. The proposed development in Mayo Abbey again undermines an area of high cultural amenity. The proposed site is also prone to flooding. Why would you develop a wind farm in an area that's prone to flooding? So I just give some examples of these areas, Minister, not because I'm against the development of renewable energy, but it has to be done in the right way and in the right place. And it's been done in the wrong way. And it's been done in areas that are too close to houses and that have all these issues that I mentioned here. There are depopulated remote areas that lend themselves to the establishment of wind energy projects. But families living close to massive wind turbines struggle and too often fail to get planning permission even to build modest homes for their sons and daughters to return. Yet they're supposed to accept the development of these wind farms using guidelines that are 20 years old and are not fit for purpose. But where are the plans to develop the offshore wind? We have huge expanse along the West Coast. There's nothing for the West Coast, absolutely nothing in the development of offshore wind energy. But I'm really concerned, Minister, because these communities are growing angrier and angrier and they feel absolutely disrespected because there's no proper consultation. Asking somebody to come along to a hall and say you can bring three people with you at this particular time and you can slot in here. It is wrong and it is disrespectful to communities. There's a right way of doing this, which I'll tell you about in the next session. Thanks very much, Seán Corle and I want to thank Deputy Conway-Walsh for raising this important issue, which I'm taking on behalf of James Brown, TD Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. As the Deputy would be aware, the programme for government reaffirms Ireland's commitment to 80% of electricity demand met by renewables in the near term, plans to move to net zero by 2050. Deployment of renewable electricity, including wind energy, is vital to Ireland to meet its ambitious domestic, targeted and international commitments. The commencement of Chapter 1 through 4 of the Planning and Development Act 2024 on two strategies provides the statutory basis for the national planning framework, regional spatial and economic strategies and introduces provisions for what are known as national planning statements. These national planning statements have been introduced, placed ministerial guidelines that were issued under Section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000. All existing Section 28 guidelines will, over time, be revoked and replaced with new national planning statements. Any current Section 28 guidelines will, however, remain in force until revoked or replaced by a corresponding national planning statement. Subsequently, this means new guidance on wind energy development will be issued as a national planning statement following review of the existing 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines. While this has been ongoing for a period of time, progress has been made towards concluding the review process. In light of the evolving policy and legislative framework, there is a need to ensure that national planning statements will be fit for purpose while having appropriate regard to the impact of wind energy developments. In respect to sectoral national planning statements such as onshore wind energy development, there is also an important role for relevant policy departments. Collaborating with my department on the development of national planning statements, in that context, my department is working closely with the Department of Climate, Energy and Environment, as the department responsible for this area of government policy, in order to identify the factors relevant to the preparation of a national planning statement. The new national planning statement addresses key aspects including noise, setback distance, shadow flicker, community obligation, community dividend and grid connection. The Department of Climate, Energy and Environment, in the context of its environmental noise and climate and renewable energy policies remit, has been working to advance guidance on the noise aspect of a national planning statement, which is highly technical in nature. With regard to the impact of development on communities, the upcoming national planning statement will aim to strike an appropriate balance between addressing the concerns of local communities and ensuring there is greater and earlier community engagement by wind energy developers while maintaining Ireland's ability to deliver on its binding climate and renewable energy policy obligations. Public participation is the heart and middle element of any substantive decision-making process under the Planning and Development Act 2024. It is open to members of the public to make an observation or submission on the draft development plan by local authority and any member of the public may make an observation or submission on a planning application during and in relation to wind energy development. Planning authorities are statutorily obliged to conduct such submissions before making a decision on the application. Further to this, the draft national planning statement on wind energy will be subject to a strategic environmental assessment and a public consultation will be held as part of the process, whereby individuals and stakeholders, including community groups, will have an opportunity to make observations on the draft national planning statement. Thank you. Thank you, Minister. As I said, what that does is make more promises, but there's nothing for the here and now. There's nothing for what people are experiencing right now. The damage caused by the Government's regulatory vacuum is leading to a deteriorating situation in local areas, and that's a fact. It's also a risk to Ireland's energy security. Meanwhile, households live in fear of their ever-increasing huge electricity bills. We want to do renewable energy in a very different way, Minister. Rather than excessive commodification of energy for profit, we would treat it as a public good and translate that into national wealth, increased community ownership, proper consultation and fair and democratic decision-making. There's a right way to do all this, and I really fear that the vacuum that has been left there by governments is doing damage to these rural areas. Have we learned nothing from the Carr of Gas project and the lack of consultation there and how that started off? I really, really ask you to bring back to the Minister to say to him to publish the guidelines as quickly as possible, but I want to see offshore wind being developed along the west as well. We cannot just keep accepting excuse after excuse. There is huge wealth to be gained for the community along the western seaboard if this is done properly. We're supposed to be in the Atlantic economic corridor. That has to mean just more than a phrase. The opportunities that are there for offshore wind would alleviate all this, help us to meet our targets and do what we need to do in the first place. I think this is one of the government's greatest failures, Minister, not to have these guidelines in place and to leave this vacuum there. It's hugely disrespectful to the communities I mentioned and other communities across Mayo and across the western seaboard. Thank you very much. I want to thank Deputy Conway-Walsh again for raising this important issue which I'm taking on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Brown TD. Progress has been made in this regard, and the Department is working towards a publication of the Wind Energy National Planning Statement as a matter of priority. Proven for Government 2025, Securing Ireland's Future, commits to prioritising publication and review of the guidelines, which will now form a National Planning Statement. My Department is working towards meeting this commitment to finalise the National Planning Statement with regard to evolving policy, public consultations and technical context while having appropriate regard to the impact of wind energy developments. It's imperative that a robust, up-to-date policy is provided which will take account of the evolving policy and the legislative context of the technological progress of recent decades. The need for Ireland to meet its ambitious targets of 9GW of onshore wind energy capacity and of the informed decisions of stakeholders and the public. Minister Brown is satisfied that, in the short to medium term, the existing and evolving planning system alongside 2006 guidelines supported by Government policy more generally provide sufficiently robust policy and legislative framework to facilitate the role of renewable energy development in a sustainable manner and to assist in meeting our renewable electricity requirements, while balancing the perspectives of local community and allowing for public and stakeholder engagement in the current 2006 Wind Energy Development Remaining Force pending the finalisation of the review.