Vol. 505 No. 1
20 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if she will co-operate with the Departments of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, the Marine and Natural Resources and the Environment and Local Government in devising a national plan which would declare and plan the potential of wind energy in each area in order that this potential can be reached with the greatest possible level of public support; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13038/99]
The Departments of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands and the Environment and Local Government and the Marine Institute have made submissions towards a Green Paper on sustainable energy which I will publish shortly. In addition, there is ongoing contact between the Department of Public Enterprise and the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources regarding the potential offshore renewable energy resource.
The Green Paper on sustainable energy will, among other things, establish minimum national targets for employing renewable energy based technologies, including wind, over the next decade. The report prepared by ESB International and ETSU on the total renewable energy resource in Ireland identified an abundance of wind energy opportunities. However, the targets for additional wind power in the Green Paper will be dictated by the technical and economic limits of the technology at this time.
The future penetration of renewable energy technologies will benefit from the national campaign to increase public awareness of the environmental and economic benefits of renewable energy based technologies which is administered by the renewable energy information office of the Irish Energy Centre. However, local support for individual projects must be established on a case by case basis by individual developers.
The Minister of State should reflect on his last sentence, that these developments should be assessed on a case by case basis. Does he accept that there is a need for a national plan for the development of wind power given the conflict which often arises between those who believe wind power is good for energy reasons and those who believe it is bad for visual reasons? These viewpoints are—
Brevity please, Deputy. A number of Members are offering.
Will the Minister of State accept there is a need for a national plan so there will be a yardstick to measure the potential and targets for the development of wind power? It could be prepared in tandem with the county development plans.
I agree there should be a plan and I consider the Green Paper to be that plan. It is close to finalisation. There has been wide consultation; the Department received 60 submissions from a wide group of people and organisations. The Green Paper will determine policy over a number of years for renewable and sustainable energy.
On a county basis?
It will address the matters which the Deputy correctly raises. These include the targets which will be suitably raised and increased and, hopefully, adhered to.
Does the Minister of State agree that a highly irrational approach is being taken by many people to wind farms? An information campaign is required to educate them about the benefits of wind farms.
I agree that has been the situation in some cases. Our experience to date is that there is wide diversity in the approaches taken by individual developers. There are ten wind farms in operation at present and it is hoped that number will increase in the next 12 months to 20.
Of the ten, a number of them went through the planning process with comparative ease because of the approach taken by the developers. They held consultations from the start with the local community, schools and local public representatives. They handled the matter delicately and sensitively and brought the local communities with them. Those state-of-the-art wind farms are now up and running.
On the other hand, some developers took the opposite approach and dealt with it in a "bull in a china shop" fashion. They attracted the odium and aversion of the local people. The approach is most important. The Deputy is correct that an irrational attitude is adopted by some people. However, I have found that the people who are most averse to these developments are genuinely interested in the environment. They must be informed of the environmental advantages of this type of energy production.
The Minister of State referred to minimum targets for the various disciplines within the renewable and alternative energy production sector. However, the Minister has brought a Bill before the House, the Electricity Regulation Bill, which will set maximum targets and put a cap on the amount of alternative energy. I urge the Minister of State to keep an eye on the senior Minister in that regard.
We will keep an eye on each other.
Does the Minister of State recall that at the annual conference of the Wind Energy Association in Waterford he made explicit commitments of support for the wind energy sector? Is he aware that within a week of that conference, the Minister circulated a series of amendments to the electricity Bill which were greeted with shock and horror by the wind energy sector? Was the Minister of State consulted about those amendments or does he talk to the senior Minister?
Full consultation always takes place between my senior colleague and me on all matters relating to energy. My three colleagues contributed expertly and ably to the discussion in Waterford and I remember it well. I am enamoured with wind energy and with renewable and sustainable energies generally.
The Minister is shafting the wind generation sector.
The Deputy is referring to the promotion of combined heat and power. I am a particular fan of that technology. It is propelled by our cleanest fossil fuel, natural gas—
What about the fossil beside the Minister of State?
—and it will be part of our projections.
Written Answers follow Adjournment Debate.
