Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this debate which we need to have if only to bring a small bit of realism to the subject. The motion refers to the policy statement on the framework for phase 2 offshore wind, and this includes the objective that 5 GW of offshore wind will be installed by 2030. This target, we are told, will contribute to the wider Government objective of achieving 80% renewable electricity and a 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by the end of this decade. That is all very well but as Kevin Collins of Pinsent Masons said:

Irish government’s new policy statement on the framework for ‘phase two’ offshore wind development in Ireland was “limited in terms of both capacity and geography”.

He also noted:

There are many projects at various stages of development that will fall outside the scope of the development earmarked under either phase one or two of the government’s plans and [that subsequently] there is a risk to the long-term pipeline of offshore wind development in Ireland if the government does not clarify how it intends to support those projects.

As I understand it from a report in The Irish Times, Mr. Ryan wrote a letter to the Minister, Deputy Éamon Ryan, expressing alarm at the potential impact of wind turbines on the Sceirde Rocks, which is a unique feature off the west coast, while MacDara’s Island, which is closest to the rocks, has one of Ireland’s finest examples of early Christian oratory. He said, “A project of [this] scale ... will desecrate such a wild and beautiful area.” It was also noted in The Irish Times that:

...he was alarmed by the lack of proposed marine life protection. The shallow reef between Sceirde Rocks and MacDara’s Island provides an excellent habitat for lobster and crab. Local fishermen have fished these waters sustainably for generations. “The drilling and associated disturbance proposed in the application [for offshore wind turbines] will have huge repercussions for this habitat”.

We need to have all these concerns robustly addressed before licences are granted.

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