Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 17 Apr 2002

Vol. 552 No. 1

Written Answers. - Alternative Energy Projects.

David Stanton

Question:

434 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the guidelines or directives issued by his Department pertaining to the location and siting of wind farms and wind turbines; his plans to make further directives or guidelines in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11261/02]

Minister for the Environment and Local Government (Mr. Dempsey)

My Department published guidelines for planning authorities on wind farm development in September 1996. The guidelines, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas Library, identify relevant planning and land use issues to which planning authorities and An Bord Pleanála should have regard in formulating development plans and in considering an application for planning permission or an appeal for a wind farm. These guidelines now have a statutory status as ministerial guidelines under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act, 2000, to which planning authorities and An Bord Pleanála must have regard in the performance of their functions.

A strategy for intensifying wind energy deployment was published by the Department of Public Enterprise in July 2000. Its aim is to support the delivery of additional electricity generating capacity from renewable sources, mainly wind, as set out in the Green Paper on sustainable energy and the national climate change strategy. A letter to each county manager and each county council chairman was issued jointly by the Minister for the Environment and Local Government and the Minister of State at the Department of Public Enterprise in March 2001. This referred to the strategy's specific recommendations to reduce obstacles to the increased deployment of renewable energy technologies in electricity production, including issues in relation to planning. The letter also pointed out the recommendation of the strategy that four distinct categories of areas could be identified on a local, regional or national basis and eventually be incorporated into each local authority's development plan.

I refer also to the reply to Question No. 496 of 20 March 2002, in which I said I met with representatives of the Irish Wind Energy Association and Meitheal na Gaoithe – the Irish wind farmers association – on 7 February 2002 to discuss their concerns in relation to the future development of the wind energy industry in Ireland. I invited Meitheal na Gaoithe to make a full written submission to my Department outlining its particular concerns and setting out any detailed textual amendments it would like to see included in a revised edition of the guidelines. This submission is awaited.