Wind energy projects stalled by 'not fit for purpose' planning system
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Just four wind energy projects were approved by An Bord Pleanála in the first half of this year, far short of the amount needed to keep Ireland on track with climate action targets, it has been claimed.
Lobby group Wind Energy Ireland said only a quarter of the wind energy projects needed in the first half of 2024 were approved, with revisions to county development plans also putting several projects at risk.
Furthermore, it said An Bord Pleanála rejected planning applications for a further eight wind farms in the first half of this year, with 30 projects still in the system awaiting a decision, although processing times have improved recently.
Wind Energy Ireland chief executive Noel Cunniffe said: “Fewer projects mean higher prices for Irish consumers, and millions more spent to import expensive fossil fuels.
The group claimed county councils were zoning land in such a way as to prevent the development of wind energy projects, and this was driving an increase in refusals from An Bord Pleanála.
It said this included projects where the local authority changed the zoning of the land to prevent a wind farm from being built even after it was already in the planning system.
“There is a conflict between national and EU energy policy, which is to accelerate the delivery of the affordable, clean, secure energy Irish people want, and county development plans which, in some places, have clearly been designed to block the development of new wind farms,” Mr Cunniffe said.
“These anti-wind energy zonings will ultimately push up costs for consumers. It means that we will continue to be exposed to the volatility of international energy markets and continue to pay higher prices for imported fossil fuels.”
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