John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Horgan for his initial remarks and for facilitating our questions here today. I do not want to duplicate other questions that may be asked. I will focus on a couple of specific areas. Mr. Horgan said in his presentation that Bord na Móna is "at a crossroads". He mentioned that it has diversified and I presume it will continue to diversify. He referred to the company's "largest single investment in wind farms at Mount Lucas and Bruckana".

Will Mr. Horgan comment on Bord na Móna's policy on investment in the wind energy business? How will this policy evolve in terms of working with communities to create goodwill and encourage their involvement in the process? The joint committee was contacted recently about a case in north County Mayo which relates to 5,000 ha of land that was compulsorily purchased in the 1950s for peat production to supply Bellacorick power station. Part of the site was sold privately in the 1990s and last week Mayo County Council granted planning permission for the erection of wind turbines on the site. I understand the ESB and Bord na Móna plan to erect some of the highest onshore wind turbines in Europe, if not the world, on the land in question. Each turbine will have a span equal in size to Croke Park, which is another site being discussed by everyone in the county this week for different reasons.

I do not have any agenda other than to ensure communities work together with those who are developing the energy resources the country needs. We are all aware of another energy development close to the planned location where mistakes were made in the initial stages. An issue arises because local communities and groups cannot secure planning permission to become involved in the wind energy business. While I accept that Mr. Horgan cannot discuss this case in detail, I ask him to give a general opinion and outline how he envisages this issue developing in future. Perhaps when he assumes office he will negotiate with communities to enable them to become involved in, buy into and support Bord na Móna's policies on wind energy.