Wind Power News: Ireland
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
€5m fine for wind farm disaster to double with €15,000 a day penalties
The €5m fine imposed on the State for the Derrybrien wind farm fiasco is set to at least double before the problem is rectified. An additional €810,000 in daily penalties has built up and €15,000 more is being added every day. By mid-October the accumulated penalties will match the fine, and all indications are it will take longer than that to resolve the issue. The European Commission, which handed down a damning judgment on November 12, has demanded payment of . . . Complete story »
Wind group attacks climate policy
The Government is “undermining” its own renewable energy targets ahead of a general election in which climate change will influence voters’ polling decisions, one of the country’s main renewable energy representative groups has claimed. “At the very moment we need to be deploying wind energy at record levels, the Government, through restrictive new planning guidelines, is undermining efforts to achieve its own targets for renewable electricity,” said Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA) chief executive David Connolly. His comments come ahead . . . Complete story »
Anti-wind farm group says new turbine guidelines are ‘not fit for purpose’
Paula Byrne, the Ballyroan-based public relations officer with Wind Aware Ireland had labelled the new wind turbine guidelines as “not fit for purpose”. Over the past number of years, as many as 14 local groups have voiced trenchant resistance to plans for wind farm developments at various locations around Laois. These include Concerned Communities of Laois, Wolfhill Swan Luggacurren Wind Awareness Group, People Over Wind, Save Our Mountain, Save our Stradbally, Concerned Residents of Spink, Laois Wind Energy Awareness Group, . . . Complete story »
Ramp up in wind energy needed to meet electricity demand from data centres and electric cars, says Varadkar
A wind “revolution” is needed if Ireland is going to meet its energy needs in the future, according to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. Before Christmas, the government approved a Bill that would ramp up development of offshore and foreshore renewable energy and give offshore wind projects planning in special zoned marine areas. “We’ve fallen behind where we should be on offshore wind because of our planning system, for offshore and foreshore, just doesn’t work. So it’s a new planning system, a . . . Complete story »
High Court shoots down windfarm
Plans for a 12-turbine windfarm in Sliabh Luachra have been shot down by a High Court ruling upholding an appeal by local protesters of a decision of An Bord Pleanála. Sliabh Luachra Wind Awareness group, opposed to the windfarm, secured a judicial review of An Bord’s planning permission for the project earlier in the year. On Friday (20th) it was announced the review had effectively overturned An Bord’s decision upon its completion. It comes as significant news for a number . . . Complete story »
Refused: Windfarm turned down by Kildare County Council
Kildare County Council has refused planning permission to Statkraft Ireland Ltd to build Drehid Wind Farm. The decision was announced on December 19 2019. The application, in the name of North Kildare Windfarm Ltd had sought the development of up to 12 turbines with a tip height of up to 169 meters as well as an on-site electricity substation and other associated infrastructure. The location of the proposed wind farm was across an area bordered by the Edenderry to Enfield road . . . Complete story »
Planning application lodged for new Laois windfarm
An expected planning application for a new windfarm in Laois has been lodged with Laois County Council. Statkraft Ireland Limited submitted an application on December 23 for an eight turbine farm near Mountmellick. The Norwegian based multinational energy company plans to develop the wind farm and all associated site works within the townlands of Dernacart, Forest Upper and Forest Lower, off the Tullamore N80 road. They seek to build wind turbines with a tip height of up to 185 meters . . . Complete story »
Cork-Kerry wind farm permission quashed over impact on hen harrier
Planning permission for a 14-turbine wind farm between two villages in Cork and Kerry has been quashed by the High Court over its potential impact on the hen harrier. Mr Justice Denis McDonald granted the order to the Sliabh Luachra Against Ballydesmond Windfarm Committee over the November 2018 Bord Pleanála permission to Silverbirch Renewables for the wind farm on elevated ground between Gneeveguilla in Kerry and Ballydesmond in Cork. Silverbirch and Kerry Co Council, which had refused planning permission, were . . . Complete story »
Supreme Court: Decision to grant planning permission for Cork wind farm quashed
Planning permission for eleven wind turbines in Cork, granted by An Bord Pleanála, has been quashed in the Supreme Court. Emphasising the need for decision-making institutions to provide proper reasoning for decisions, Mr Justice Donal O’Donnell said that the Inspector who reported to the Board was wrong to exclude certain submissions from his consideration and that, by extension, the Board’s decision was flawed. Background Since 1992, Klaus Balz and Hanna Heubach (the appellants) have lived at Bear na Gaoithe, County . . . Complete story »
Leitrim locals tell of ‘monster’ wind turbines torment
The “monster” wind turbine towers menacingly over the village, each of its vast white blades alone will be two-and-a-half times the length of a wing on a Boeing 747. These structures are almost twice the size of the Statue of Liberty and completely dwarf the church, people and tractors below. The scale model of the proposed Croagh Wind Farm sitting in the middle of artist Adrienne Diamond’s conservatory makes for dramatic viewing. It shows what the picturesque North Leitrim village . . . Complete story »
