Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

When this development was proposed in 2011, no more than the Minister, I had many discussions with Coillte officials about giving a turbine to the community, the tourism project on Sliabh Bawn, which will be massive, and other issues. However, people have been affected by noise and by the development of the wind farm and they are unhappy. The wind farm is subject to the old guidelines and it is extremely important that the Minister and, indeed, all Oireachtas Members, acknowledge and accept that there is a huge difficulty with this project. We must acknowledge that people are unhappy. I fully understand that we are way behind in our renewable energy targets and 2020 is approaching. There will be massive fines on the State, which will fall back on the taxpayer. This development, however, cannot be undertaken on the backs of people who are unhappy. We must consult people and listen to their concerns. They are not all mad in respect of what they are saying. I have never opposed wind power but I have stood on my doorstep and the noise factor is extremely annoying. It upsets some people and not others. There are 250 wind farms in the country and the Minister needs to publish the guidelines and to meet people who are concerned. We need to examine their ideas and engage with them. The day of Coillte throwing a few euro to the community is gone and I ask the Minister to challenge Coillte to deal with that issue and to ensure communities get a fair crack of the whip.

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