'Anti-wind' development plans are undermining the country's climate targets, Wind Energy Ireland has claimed.

CEO Noel Cunniffe described planning as the single biggest barrier to ending our dependency on fossil fuels but said the Planning Bill would help - noting only one wind farm was approved between July and September this year.

“That means that they approved only 13% of the capacity that we needed to get through in that time frame to be able to hit our 2030 targets” he said.

“And the combination of a lack of resources in An Bord Pleanála working on renewable energy projects - combined with anti-wind energy county development plans - means that Ireland is going to be dependent on imported fossil fuels for longer.”

Planning and Development

Mr Cunniffe said the Planning and Development Bill should be backed up by further resources.

“The Planning and Development Bill really could improve the ability to deliver more wind energy projects quickly," he said.

“It sets in place mandatory decision timelines for An Bord Pleanála and for planning authorities -  but new legislation is nothing if it's not backed up by more resources in our planning sector and by changes to county development plans that can facilitate more renewable energy.”

In the third quarter of this year, two more applications were rejected and a further 31 projects are still waiting for a decision.

Main image: Wind turbines against the backdrop of a rising sun. Image: Sourced.