Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am raising this issue because of the situation developing in the midland counties, in particular, Laois, Offaly and Westmeath, where large-scale wind farm projects are up and running and companies are actively developing them and signing farmers into land deals. We do not have regulations at the moment to govern the construction of wind farms and large turbines and we urgently need them.

We on this side of the House support alternative energy, including wind, but it can only be part of it. It cannot be all of it and that is the problem. It is being driven forward as the solution to everything in the same way as the house building boom was promoted as solving all our problems 12 or 15 years ago. We just had to keep building houses and piles of hotels and everything would be okay. Local communities, elected representatives and county development plans are being brushed to one side. Companies developing wind farms are ploughing ahead. They are able to ride roughshod over communities because all we have are outdated and inadequate guidelines that are not fit for purpose. The maximum setback is 500 metres and the guidelines do not cater for these. Companies are moving ahead at speed and we need regulations in place as soon as possible in Laois, Offaly and Westmeath to protect communities, the landscape and the environment. There needs to be robust regulations.

Companies have projects well advanced in areas not zoned for wind farms under county development plans. Therefore, is local government being swept to one side as well? Will this be allowed? I made the comparison with the building boom. We had light-touch regulation during the noughties and saw what happened with house building. We had light-headed financiers. Are we witnessing the same thing again - light-headed financiers with light-headed developers driving this approach? It is irrational and insane and we need a rational debate about this. Will all of these turbines be economically viable and sustainable?

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