asked the Minister for Energy if he has any plans for the setting up of a wind farm in Malin Head, County Donegal, in view of the report completed in 1979 for the energy division of the National Board for Science and Technology; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Donegal Wind Farm.
11.
There are no specific plans at present for the setting up of a wind farm anywhere in the country. The objective of the programme on which I have embarked is to establish that wind is an economic and reliable source of energy. The initial phase of this programme has two broad objectives, firstly to measure and analyse data on the country's potential generally and to identify the most suitable locations for harnessing this energy; secondly, to test and demonstrate the suitability of particular wind machines for different locations and applications. In a written reply to a question in 10 March I gave up-to-date information on the present stage of development of the programme.
The Deputy will appreciate that the logical and effective development of this programme requires that we should progress from study and demonstration of individual machines to similar work on small clusters of machines and that the construction of extensive clusters or wind farms is further down the road.
As well as proceeding with our domestic programme, we are keeping in constant and direct touch with developments in other countries, in particular those which are pioneering the development of wind power on a substantial scale. A decision to force the pace of development by getting involved in large-scale projects without going through the essential earlier stages which I have outlined, could have results which would be counter-productive and very costly in terms of performance, safety and unacceptable effects on the environment generally.
Is the Minister aware that, in a radio interview within the past couple of days, the Minister for Energy agreed that we have neglected wind power potential to some extent? If this is the case, would he not agree that the establishment of some kind of wind power experiment would be very good at this point in time?
That is what is being done. I have not got all the details but, as the Deputy probably knows, the ESB are erecting a number of wind generators of different types in different parts of the country to study their feasibility.
Is the Minister effectively saying that this experimentation is being done by the ESB rather than by the Minister's Department?
Obviously the ESB are the people who are best fitted to carry out this work.