Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 18 February 2014

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht

Electricity Generation and Export: Discussion

6:25 pm

Mr. John Reilly:

We have adopted two projects in the midlands and we are about to proceed to consultation. We have had discussions with the Cowhig power group and various groups down there and we are going to proceed to consultation on the formal nature of the community benefit scheme that we propose. We want to engage with communities and want to understand what they would accept. I agree with the Deputy regarding the local community in Mayo in terms of the 650 MW of proposed wind energy for domestic consumers. The people of Mayo - I am generalising here - want to see that happen. That is the sense we have got. We are willing to work with them to try to make sure that project ultimately does come to pass - that is our intention - in a way that is acceptable to the local community.