Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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14. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to implement new draft wind energy guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65419/25]

Peter Roche (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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39. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the current regulatory framework governing maximum wind turbine height; whether concerns raised by residents in County Galway regarding the increasing scale of turbine proposals, particularly turbines exceeding traditional height thresholds, are being considered as part of the ongoing review of wind energy planning guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65792/25]

Natasha Newsome Drennan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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85. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when the current regulation on the installation of wind farms were updated; when the current regulations are due to be updated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59353/25]

Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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532. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when he plans to implement new draft wind energy guidelines;and if he will make a statement on the matter.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60285/25]

Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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533. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when he plans to implement new draft wind energy guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60322/25]

Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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The current wind energy guidelines date back to 2006. In 2006, turbines were 80 m high. Today in east Galway, communities are fighting applications against 180 m industrial structures using rules from two decades ago. It is regulatory negligence to apply 2006 rules to 2025 technology. My argument is simple. The guidelines must protect people first, through strictly increased setback distances and noise regulation. Only then can we provide the renewables. We cannot continue to regulate modern monsters with obsolete laws. We need the update and we need it now. When can we anticipate the new energy guidelines?

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 14, 39, 85, 532 and 533 together.

My Department is currently undertaking a focused review of the 2006 wind energy development guidelines which will inform a new national planning statement on wind energy under the new Planning and Development Act 2024. The review is addressing a number of key aspects of the guidelines including noise, setback distance, shadow flicker, community obligation, community dividend and grid connections. The key policy area here is with the Department of the Climate, Environment and Energy, which has primary responsibility for environmental noise matters and has been working to advance guidance on the noise aspect of the national planning statement, which is highly technical in nature. This work is now well under way.

In addition to work on the noise aspects of the national planning statement, the evolving policy and technical context including the new Planning and Development Act 2024 and the revision of the national planning framework reinforces the need to ensure that the finalised guidelines, once issued, are fit for purpose. In line with EU directive requirements, a strategic environmental assessment, SEA, is being carried out on the draft national planning statement as part of the review process. In this regard, my Department intends to undertake a public consultation on updated draft guidelines as part of the SEA process whereby all interested parties will have an opportunity to submit observations on the draft national planning statement. A finalised national planning statement will be prepared following detailed analysis and consideration of the submissions received during the consultation phase.

My Department is working towards concluding the finalisation of the national planning statement having regard to the intended public consultation and the impact of associated reforms and reviews including the revision of the NPF. The current 2006 wind energy development guidelines remain in force, pending the finalisation of that review.

Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate the update and that the Department of energy and climate is working on the noise aspect. The speed at which this is dealt with is vital. Right now, there is a gold rush and a race to get planning applications through for these wind farms. I am speaking on behalf of the people of east Galway in Killimordaly, Barnaderg, Shancloon, Laurclavagh and Clonbern. There are 27 proposed wind farms in north Galway alone, with up to 150 turbines. The entire character of north Galway would be transformed if these were permitted.

Beyond the social impact, I need to raise the hard economic fact about the viability of these projects. EnergyCloud was before the committee last week. A total of €2 billion worth of electricity is being curtailed. This cannot be allowed to go on. It is not a sustainable model the way we are operating.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I support Deputy Dolan as well. I spoke about solar guidelines previously. It has to be said again that is taking an extreme amount of time to get these guidelines updated. I am here since 2020. I have spoken about this a dozen times at this stage. We have been led to believe that these guidelines are being updated or imminent. The Minister is giving us an update on the progress in relation to that. As I said, it seems to take an extreme amount of time. They are much anticipated and long awaited. Whether it is solar or wind, the only conclusion I can draw is that we seem to be putting things on the long burner. The only conclusion I can draw is that is being done by design by the Department to allow a number of applications. I am surprised to hear there are that many applications in one part of Galway. I thought that we had a heavy number of applications in my part of the country, but nothing comparable to Deputy Dolan's. We seem to do things very slowly. They seem to take an awful long time. I met the industry a number of weeks ago in relation to this. The industry wants these guidelines updated because it wants people to be aware of what is happening and it wants it done transparently. I echo the calls of Deputy Dolan to get this done urgently.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank both Deputies for their input in relation to the matter. In relation to my time in the Department of housing, there has been significant engagement with the Department of the environment in terms of developing the wider issues around the guidelines and in relation to updating them through the national planning statements. These are very technical in nature. They are very complex. There is considerable EU environmental legislation to take into account. Most importantly, there are also local communities to take into account. It is about finding that balance of where we can get to a situation where we can deliver and develop renewable energy while at the same time ensuring that local communities and individuals are respected within their local communities as well. This is not an easy balance to find. I have little doubt that if it was an easy balance to find it would have been done a considerable time ago. We are working very carefully, as I said, with the Department of the environment, whose policies are around ensuring that we have necessary renewable energy. I will be working with the Deputies as well and with the House to ensure that we can get that balance in place.

Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Recently I had the privilege of walking one of the proposed sites in Shancloon near Caherlistrane in County Galway, where what was before me was beautiful open landscape. What amazed me was that this windfarm was proposed to be built on a bog. In order to build a turbine on a bog, a significant amount of peat has to be excavated in order to put in the concrete base to allow for the turbine to go up. The problem here is that this goes against everything we are working for environmentally; digging up bogs to put in wind turbines that ultimately have a useful life of maybe 30 to 40 years before they have to be considered to be taken down at that point. I also highlight that the engagement that happens in advance of these developments going to a planning process where a turbine farm is being proposed at 50 MW. That is the potential output of the turbines. As a result, those planning applications can go through directly to An Coimisiún Pleanála. The reality for a lot of these farms that are proposed is that their output will be a lot less than 50 MW and they should be going to the council first based on output, not based on potential capacity. That is something that needs to be hammered quickly because they are acting as if they are going to put out 50 MW when the reality is it will be a lot less.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputies for their concerns. There is a very large number of national planning statements that are now required over the coming years. Providing one under wind energy is a priority for the Department of housing, but as I said, many of the key principles are also within the Department of environment. We are continuing to work with it. It is about finding that balance where we can deliver renewable energy, which is absolutely critical for our environment - we are in a climate emergency - and ensuring that we meet the EU guidelines around the habitats directive, for example, and other directives, while also ensuring that the local communities are protected and respected. That is not an easy balance to deliver and arrive at. It is a difficult one to ensure that we can balance those competing interests. We have to ensure that we get this right, even if it does take a little bit longer than people might have hoped for. To ensure that we do not have a rushed answer is critical.