Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In May 2017, the Minister, Deputy Coveney, and I, as energy Minister, signed off on the new wind energy guidelines providing a fair and balanced planning system taking due regard of local communities and individual families within the vicinity of turbines. Even though these new standards were opposed by some vested interests, the improved guidelines would effectively mean that in line with World Health Organization standards, a turbine louder than a bird would be shut down. However, four and a half years later these standards have yet to be implemented.

In 2017, I made it crystal clear that the new guidelines must be in place in advance of the first renewable energy auctions. However, the Government has now commenced the second round of auctions just as we are being told in the House that the noise aspect of the revised guidelines is again under review in order to facilitate an expansion of wind energy. What exactly is going on?

See this speech in context