Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

By 2030, 80% of Ireland’s electricity is to come from renewable sources. The Government has set a target of 7,000 MW of installed offshore wind generation by 2030. For comparison, we currently have 25 MW off Wicklow in the Arklow Bank Wind Park. That target is for a mere eight years so it is a very ambitious target. However, the industry has continually rung alarm bells, saying this target will not be met. The latest alarm bell to be rung is by the UCC business school, which today described Ireland as a laggard in this area. It is really hard to argue with that, considering that three years into this Government, it is only this week that the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment announced that he plans to bring in an industrial strategy to deal with wind energy. Is the Taoiseach worried about Ireland being a laggard in this area? Does he still believe that Ireland will meet its renewable energy targets and its wind generation targets?

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