John Halligan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I do not know whether they had. They said they would have no problem with exporting energy once we became self-sufficient in energy. That is a reasonable aspect of the Bill and I do not have a problem with it.

There are pros and cons to wind energy and we should wise up to that in the debate. Wind energy is green energy and there is potential for enormous power from wind, 20 times more than what the entire human population needs. Wind energy is renewable and green, but there are also disadvantages. Experts say that wind is unpredictable and the availability of wind energy is not constant. Cost is another disadvantage, although the costs are coming down.

There are many wind farms in the United States and it is estimated that there are fatalities among the bird population of up to 500,000 per year. We should be careful in that regard. There is also a problem with noise and shadow effect. I have seen it in certain areas. There is nothing worse than having a shadow falling over one’s house 24 hours a day. I must conclude in order to allow Deputy Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan to speak. I support the Bill and I hope there will be a reasoned debate on it in the coming months and years.

See this speech in context