Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to have a debate on this very important matter and commend Deputy Brian Stanley for bringing forward this legislation. The context is very important. As the Minister of State indicated, the targeted review of the 2006 guidelines has been under way since 2013. I was in the Department as a Minister of State when we started this work, which is an indication that we must come to a conclusion on this issue as it has been debated and batted backwards and forwards, particularly in rural communities. The context is that we must have no doubts in bringing our carbon output down to levels we are both obliged to and want to achieve as a community. We want to get to a point where we are carbon neutral and can address these matters.

There is also a context in which changing technology must be taken into account. Onshore wind energy projects have made a great contribution. The Minister of State spoke about the 2,800 MW connected to the grid that makes a positive contribution to our energy security and leads us to avoid 2.5 million tonnes of CO₂emissions annually. That is true and it will continue on existing wind farms and those which it will be appropriate to develop in the future. The most exciting technological changes are offshore, as Deputy Timmy Dooley mentioned.

There is another context related to the consultation process for the national planning framework that has been ongoing. It is due to come to a conclusion and the Government plans to publish the framework next month. One of the key questions asked in the consultation document concerned the infrastructural investments required to maximise the potential of our ocean resources. It comes under the heading of integrated land and marine development. I agree with other speakers that the potential offshore is very encouraging. There are cost reductions and we can look to countries such as Scotland as an example. We need to accept that the dynamic is changing constantly and that what might have been the case in 2013 has changed as a result. As the guidelines will be reviewed again, we must come to conclusions now.

I will quote from the submission I made on behalf of the Labour Party in the consultation process on the national planning framework under the heading of land and sea. It states:

The national planning framework will need to incorporate a marine spatial strategy that defines the optimum relationship with the sea around us, including planning for coastal zones, the foreshore and its interaction with the land. Ireland's potential to replace fossil fuels with offshore energy sources is an opportunity that simply must be exploited during the lifetime of the plan. Technology is advancing in terms of the cost-effectiveness of wind and wave energy. The plan must commit to the necessary research and investment in what is potentially a huge win for the environment, the economy and the coastal communities of Ireland.

I linked the matter with the west coast, as Deputy Timmy Dooley has done, citing the example of the Wild Atlantic Way in bringing jobs and opportunities to that part of the country. So too could offshore energy projects. We are all supportive of the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, but there must be a focus on other resources. Others have mentioned sectors such as hydro, solar, geothermal, biomass, wave, tidal and biofuels, etc., which must all contribute to a sustainable outcome for the future.

On balance, we have decided to support Deputy Brian Stanley's Bill. My colleague, Deputy Willie Penrose, has published a related Bill and although we do not agree on every item in this legislation, the Government might accept it, as has happened many times before. It has accepted Bills on Second Stage and amended them on Committee Stage. It is a reasonable and balanced approach. There are elements about noise levels that could probably be agreed to across the Chamber and the issue of shadow flicker has been debated extensively. There are differing views on setback distances, but relating height to setback distances is something on which everybody agrees, although there are different views on how it should be measured exactly. There is also the matter of community gain and consultation. The co-ownership idea put forward by Deputy Brian Stanley has been labelled as problematic by the Government, but at the same time there is broad agreement on the need for consultation with local communities, which is vital, and for the community to have a gain, a stake and a say. Nothing will be successful, unless the community can believe it is getting something from it. It is an important element of what Deputy Brian Stanley has proposed.

We will support the Bill on Second Stage, although, as I mentioned, we may not agree with every line of it.

The context has to be ensuring that we reach our targets and exceed them in ways I think is possible. However, that will be dependent on more than just wind energy. There is large potential in other areas of renewable energy. Biomass energy has not been exploited in the way it should. Offshore energy is particularly encouraging and solar power can also be harnessed. I have a particular attachment to hydroelectric power because I grew up on the banks of the headrace of the Ardnacrushasa hydroelectric power station, with which Deputy Dooley is also familiar. That was a very brave move by the Government of the time in terms of embracing the idea of alternative energy. That was done very successfully. At the time it was thought to be slightly off the wall but it has since proved itself. We have certainly got plenty of water in Ireland so that is another area of potential.

The Labour Party will support the Bill in principle on Second Stage. It is disappointing that it appears the Bill will get no further. It is a debate that must be continued and is dynamic in terms of changing costs and technology. No Member should take a fixed position on the issue because it is constantly changing. Guidelines are needed. All Members have prevaricated long enough on settling on those guidelines. In terms of the preferred draft approach, there will be a strategic environmental assessment. I am not sure how long that will take, but the Minister of State said the tenders will be called for tomorrow. I do not know if he can tell us how long it will take but it is an area on which there are strong feelings across the country and on which decisions have to be made.

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