Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)

In my constituency, we have a huge number of energy developments at various stages of planning and development, between wind energy, solar farms, gas plants, etc. These are causing a lot of concern. I have raised this previously. It is important for me to say at the outset that my constituents are not against renewable energy. They fully understand the importance of energy security but they want it to be done right.

Today I am glad to get the opportunity to focus on solar energy developments, including battery energy storage, in two projects, in particular, that have brought to my attention by my constituents. In Monivea and Abbeyknockmoy, the proposed Belleville solar project, led by Power Capital Renewable Energy, PCRE, is planned to cover approximately 1,000 acres within the community across multiple different sites. This is a small rural community that would be left totally unrecognisable should the development go ahead in its current form.

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