Mr. John Reilly:

I agree with Mr. Kevin O'Donovan on the comparison of onshore and offshore turbines. The cost of installing a wind turbine offshore is almost three times that of installing it onshore because one will be working in deep water and face all the challenges of working at sea. We have been monitoring wind speeds across our sites in the midlands for the past eight to nine years. The average wind speeds in the relatively flat landscape of the midlands are the envy of other member states such as Germany, where the capacity factors for wind farms are 25%. In the midlands one would expect with current technologies to get about a 35% capacity factors. This is one of the reasons that Ireland has a major competitive advantage in that we can produce renewable clean electricity from onshore wind at a price that is lower than anywhere else in Europe because of our wind speeds. There is no question but that one would need to build at the heights we are building at Mountlucas, which is at approximately 160 m.

Deputy Corcoran Kennedy referred to a set-back of ten times the height of the structures. Ten times the height of a 160 m structure, such as in Mountlucas, would require set-back distances of 1.6 km. In effect, on a site such as Mountlucas that would mean that the turbines would move into a very small cluster right in the middle of the bog. In terms of complying with regulations, for example, there would be no issue in terms of complying with the noise standards but one would be limiting the ability of the wind farm to capture its resource. As we have said, we believe there is an appropriate set-back distance and it should be related to noise.

Another point the Deputy raised - I understand the reason for the confusion on the issue because we have heard it also when we have spoken to people - is that it is proposed to install 3,000 turbines in the midlands. Nobody is proposing to erect 3,000 turbines in the midlands. People are talking about an export project that might have 3,000 MW capacity and using modern turbines that would involve a maximum of 1,000 turbines. The Bord na Móna proposal is a 2 GW project and we are looking at in the region of 650 turbines. We understand that misconceptions such as these are raising concerns among people. I do not think that one would install 3,3000 turbines in the midlands. That will not happen. One would not have appropriate locations across the midlands to put 3,000 turbines. We believe it is possible to install between 600 and 700 turbines in appropriate locations.