Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We all remember the shocking images from November 2020 of a bog slide at Meenbog in Donegal. The sight of trees slipping down the hill while they were still standing was truly shocking. Now, two and a half years later, there is no word of the investigation into the cause of the slide, as if we did not know what it was. Meenbog is the site of a significant wind farm development, a development that appears to be progressing, regardless of the investigation. People knew that the site was not suitable even for trees, never mind for a wind farm development. As usual, the planning process is skewed against local people and their often genuine concerns.

I ask about this because it is relevant to current wind farm applications in the Gweebarra area of west Donegal. The Tánaiste will probably reply that it is up to Donegal County Council or an Bord Pleanála to decide and not for him or the Government. Yet, I, and many people in Donegal and around the country, believe that the Government has to take a view on this issue.

We have also seen the Government dragging its heels on publishing the wind energy guidelines. A draft was published in 2019 and there has not been a word about it since. A process started in 2013, which is now ten years ago. This is about protecting concerned local people, so there is no urgency on it. The place where the wind farm developments are taking place in the Gweebarra is covered in blanket bog which, apart from anything else, scientists believe that it is the best possible carbon sink. The risk of further bog slides cannot be underestimated and, like in Meenbog, the Gweebarra Estuary is a significant salmon river and the risks of ecological damage are immense.

We have seen many bog slides over the last few years around the country. While not all are associated with wind farm developments, they show that the risk is real. Given that we still do not know the outcome of the damage to the River Finn and its tributaries, does the Tánaiste believe that An Bord Pleanála should adjudicate on any applications that may come from similar landscape areas in the county or indeed the country? Will he or the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications take an interest and protect the sensitive environment of the Gweebarra by ensuring they have an interest in the applications in the area and not leave it to the inadequately prepared An Bord Pleanála at the very least at the present time?

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