Wind Turbine Regulation Bill 2025: Second Stage [Private Members]
Dail Éireann — 2025-11-27
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Niamh Smyth (FF), Cavan-Monaghan

I thank the Deputies for their contributions. It has been a very thought-provoking, pragmatic and respectful debate and I very much appreciate that. I commend Deputy Stanley on raising the matter and the work that he has put into this Bill. I appreciate that it is an area that generates a lot of interest and debate across the country. The Government believes in the importance of public participation within our planning system. Any draft national planning statement, NPS, will be put out to public consultation, whereby all interested parties will have an opportunity to submit observations. The finalised NPS will be prepared following detailed analysis and consideration of submissions received during the consultation phase. The Government is confident that, while the review is being finalised and the planning system is capable of assessing applications for wind for wind energy development, connection proposals for wind energy development are subject to the same statutory requirements as other forms of proposed development. In making decisions on planning applications for any type of development, including wind energy development, any planning authority or board, as appropriate, must consider the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.
The 2006 wind energy guidelines remain in force and planning authorities and the board must have regard to these guidelines in the performance of their functions. As such, it is considered that the planning policy and the legislative framework is in place to enable planning authorities and the board to make decisions on planning applications in respect of wind energy developments, in line with our planning and sustainable development, pending the finalisation of the revised national planning statement.
The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is satisfied that the existing and evolving planning system, supported by the Government policy more generally, provides a sufficiently robust policy and legislative framework to facilitate the roll-out of renewable energy development in a sustainable manner and to assist with meeting our needs of renewable energy requirements while balancing the perspective of local communities and allowing for public and stakeholder engagement. There is a need to develop as much onshore renewable energy capacity as possible in the coming years. The proposed restrictions in the Bill are also inconsistent with the work being undertaken by the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation on accelerating infrastructure delivery and the expected report with recommendations on same that is due to be brought to Government shortly.
There is an increasingly urgent need to accelerate the delivery of infrastructure, including to ensure that our energy supply and networks can support the additional demands placed on them by the State's continued economic growth. It is important to recognise that there has been opposition to wind energy developments from some communities due to concerns in relation to the scale of proposed developments and the perceived potential impacts. The updated national planning statement will aim to adopt a more balanced approach to addressing local community concerns while also facilitating the roll-out of wind energy development to assist in meeting Ireland's renewable energy targets. This balanced approach is considered more appropriate given current climate concerns and the approach outlined in the Bill.
In conclusion, as my colleague outlined in his speech, many of the provisions in the Bill are already being addressed in the context of the ongoing review of the existing wind guidelines. I also have significant concerns that the key measures within the Bill would jeopardise the State's ability to roll-out renewable energy and meet its legally binding targets in that regard. Accordingly, I wish to confirm that the Government proposes a timed amendment of 12 months.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2025-11-27/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:23+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-11-27