Renewable Energy Generation
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-24
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Barry Ward (FG), Dún Laoghaire

I thank the Minister of State. I have no doubt about the value of offshore wind energy to local communities, particularly, where it is being landed onshore, and about the benefits it brings. I am aware of the community benefit funds, which the Minister of State mentioned. Two major projects are being run from Dún Laoghaire in my constituency, the Dublin Array and Ocean Winds projects. RWE is a partner in the Dublin Array project. Their office is now based in Dún Laoghaire, so it has a close connection to the community. I am aware that it is working hard on the development of information. There is a lot of misinformation about wind energy, particularly offshore wind energy, and about the environmental benefits and clean energy generated. Can we put measures in place that empower locally elected representatives to get answers where they need them and to counter the misinformation? In particular, I am thinking about concerns raised about possible environmental damage where pylons are driven into the seabed. My understanding from the experience of places like the North Sea and the coast of Scotland is that this can create small ecosystems that would not exist without the pylons. How can we counter misinformation?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-24/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:40+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-24