Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Cunniffe for his presentation. We all recognise the importance of renewable energy as a significant part of meeting our electricity generation needs and the increased demand in that regard over the coming years. Where it gets a little more difficult is in the perception, or perhaps the reality in many cases, of the saturation point having been reached for onshore wind in many of the most attractive areas from a wind capture point of view, and the significant impact that is having on communities. I would like to hear the witnesses' views on how they intend to engage more effectively in this regard and to the broader benefit of communities.

Heretofore, wind energy developers tended to do deals with community enterprises, namely, the local GAA club, a community council or similar, and provide some funding in that way. This model, in my view, does not work and does not address the impact on some of the communities involved. A decision can be made to go for the setback distance and put the farm out to 1 km, but there still will be people who feel impacted by the intrusion of a wind farm. Let us be honest about this. Some people are concerned about noise and some are concerned about flicker. If one drills down into their real concerns, some people will talk about health issues, which are certainly not proven and probably not real. They are also concerned about the visually intrusive nature of wind farms. Are the witnesses considering a greater level of involvement for communities in discussions on matters of this nature? I am not referring to situations where people are participating with their own equity. Is Wind Energy Ireland going to share the profit or gain with a wider cohort of the community than just the community groups, local GAA clubs or landholders? That is critical in getting some of the areas to a point where they can be developed. There are certain areas in which I expect the witnesses will never get the support of people for development. That will have to be taken into account.

I am concerned that there has been a lack of engagement through the Covid period. Mr. Blount might be able to tell us more about the wind farm that Coillte is developing on the shores of Lough Derg near Killaloe. I have been a public representative for that area for 18 years-----