Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I find slightly surprising the conclusion that there are no substantive arguments to be made with regard to the security of domestic supply, given Derrybrien provides, on a good day at least, 1% of the energy needs of the State at a time of energy crisis. I am not suggesting that Ireland should flout EU law; it is very disappointing that it has done so and that it is has dragged its heels for so long. What I am suggesting is that another attempt be made to bring Derrybrien into compliance with European Union law. Maybe a better application should be made to mitigate the very negative effects of what has happened. Maybe an application should be made by a developer that is not the original developer, which has been in violation of the requirement for so long, albeit it may have been inadvertent at the time, and it may have been a failure by this House and the Department to properly transpose European legislation that gave rise to much of this problem. However, so too is the manner in which ESB, or its wholly owned subsidiary, Gort Windfarms Limited, went about building this.

Nobody is suggesting that those who flouted environmental norms be rewarded, but rather that the State would not be penalised. We have taken all of the disadvantages, as I have said. There is a real risk and a worry in the community that in seeking to decommission, we are going to cause further damage along the lines of the damage that was already caused.

The worst of it all is this. I do not know if the Minister of State knows the topography of the area well but Slieve Aughty is on the northern side of Lough Derg and Slieve Bernagh is on the southern side. Coillte is proposing to do exactly the same thing on top of Slieve Bernagh - this is a blanket bog on top of a mountain and it wants to put up turbines. It is going to endanger Slieve Bernagh and decommission a wind farm that can be seen across Scariff Bay and that has created environmental havoc in the past. Nobody is sympathising with that. What I am saying is that it may be time to cut our losses and to make a new application, and the State should consider the good that perhaps could come out of it.

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