Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Has Bord na Móna taken any action to seek derogations in respect of the public procurement process for the development of wind farms to ensure work for local people, at least in the construction phase? I urge both energy companies to take that into account. Local employment and local gain must be at the heart of all this. Given the scale of work they are talking about and if we are to buy into these large packages, we need to get down to the nuts and bolts of it, as Mr. Reilly described, in terms of how this will be done. The delegates from Element Power will be bankrolling the projects they have discussed. Are they talking to local manufacturing companies? Is it all tied up with IDA Ireland and how far have those discussions progressed? We cannot make false promises to people. The reality is there are limited opportunities in direct employment from wind farms.

I conclude with a technical question. Reference was made to the use of AC power lines within wind farms. In regard to export potential, I understand it is a DC line that will take the current to the interconnector. If we have AC technology within the wind farms and a DC line to the interconnector, does it mean we are looking at convertor stations? If so, are they not a significant consideration in the planning process?