Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent)
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I move:

That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to regulate wind turbines to provide limits on the exportation of product generated from wind turbines, to protect nearby dwellings from noise and shadow flicker by providing minimum set back distances, to allow access to public consultative processes; and to provide for related matters.

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for the opportunity to introduce this important Bill. It provides for the regulation of large wind turbines and large wind farms. As someone who is in favour of developing wind energy and supports it, I believe we also need regulations on it. We need to do it in a practical, sensible and planned way. Wind energy has an important part to play among our renewable energy sources, along with biogas, solar and multiple other sources. They all have to be used. There has been a failure by the Government to put regulations in place, or even to update the 2006 guidelines put in place when wind turbines were less than one quarter of the height they are now.

That is the key point. They are multiples of what they were in 2006.

I brought forward legislation on this in 2014, 2016 and 2021. Four years ago, there was due to be a two-hour debate in the Dáil on the Bill I was bringing forward, but it was derailed at the time by the leader of the largest Opposition party, who had been taken in, probably, by the large companies and spooked by sections of the media. Therefore, here we are again, in an effort to ensure we have a proper planning framework that will protect local communities and at the same time allow for badly needed provision of green and renewable energy.

Section 1 sets out the interpretation of the Bill and explains the references made in it.

Section 2 deals with electricity supply to meet national needs across the Thirty-two Counties of Ireland, North and South. That is why we need the North-South interconnector. Some people disagree with that. That is up to them. The excess could be exported to our neighbours in Britain, France and so on.

Section 3 restores some level of local democracy to councils in that large wind turbines can only be located in areas designated by county councillors in county development plans. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle is familiar with what is going on on the Kilkenny-Laois border at the moment. He is involved in it. There will be a meeting about it next Wednesday evening.

Section 4 sets out a number of conditions that wind farm developers must meet to ensure there is effective consultation with local communities.

Section 5 stipulates that noise from wind farms must not exceed the limits set out by the World Health Organization Guidelines for Community Noise 1999. Importantly, they state that shadow flicker from the rotation of the blades must not pass over the windows of nearby dwellings.

Sections 6 and 7 put in place a clear requirement that no wind turbine more than 30 m in height shall be located at less than the distance of 7.5 times the height of the turbine from any dwelling and deal with that requirement in good detail. That allows for the development of wind farms. It does not stop it. It just means a sensible measurement will be put in place.

Section 8 deals with compliance by developers and provides that penalties will be levied on those who do not comply.

Section 9 provides that a sufficient bond has to be lodged with the local authority to repair any damage to local infrastructure such as roads, bridges, buildings, water services, etc. during the period of construction.

Section 10 puts responsibility on wind farm owners to ensure proper decommissioning is done in an environmentally sustainable way. They will need to be decommissioned in 20 or 25 years.

Section 11 provides an opportunity for local communities that live within 4 km of a wind farm to purchase up to a 10% stake in the wind farm, should they wish to do so. That provision is common in other countries.

This Bill puts some order on an industry in which large corporations have held sway and held all the cards. The Government and Dáil have failed, including Opposition parties. Some Members of the Dáil may wish to amend parts of this Bill, as may the Government. I accept that. I am not saying this is the be all and end all, but there is a lot of detail in it and a lot of work went into it. I ask that the Bill get a fair chance. I appeal to the Government to allow it to go to Second Stage and I appeal to Members of the Dáil on all sides to do what we have failed to do for almost 20 years, since 2006, and put in place proper regulations and guidelines for this important industry, which we must have as part of our solution to our renewable energy needs.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Is the Bill being opposed?

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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No.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Will the Deputy move that Second Stage be taken in Private Members' time?

Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent)
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I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."