Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There is no denying that the Government is doing a lot, as is acknowledged in the report. The question is whether it is doing enough to deliver on the targets set out. The answer to that question is clearly "No". The Government is further away from our renewable energy targets this year than last year. There is a serious problem with planning. No onshore projects have come out of the planning process for a long while. There are clear proposals here and I encourage the Government to look at them. There are positive proposals in the report, some of which are in line with what is intended and others of which are new. Resourcing is a huge issue and it needs to be addressed. I urge the Government to realise the opportunity of State- and community-owned renewable energy. It has the potential to deliver transformational change but not without adequate resources, planning and grid infrastructure.

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