Seanad debates
Thursday, 6 November 2003
Adjournment Matters. - Derrybrien Wind Farm.
There are many questions now to which people want answers and I hope the Minister of State can give them answers, for example, on what surveying was carried out. We know about the helicopters flying over Derrybrien and about the speed and power of the wind. Like the people there, I am worried whether any ground surveys were carried out because this concerns them. It was interesting to hear people at the public meeting say they were in favour of wind energy, but they said windmills should be put at ground level or off shore, not on a mountain. Indeed, many said the area in question is not a mountain but a bog. That is how they described Sliabh Aughty and it is difficult to see a location there for these turbines. The Minister of State should be aware of the concerns of the families involved that this might happen again. People talk about the fear and uncertainty and the fact they cannot sleep at night because they, like the people in Pollathomas in County Mayo, do not know what will happen next. The next few weeks will be very important. During that time further surveys and reports will be carried out. I hope that when we get those back in a few weeks time, we will be able to provide answers. The Minister of State in particular has a responsibility to provide those answers, having looked at the surveys and reports, and to give answers to the questions the people are raising in Derrybrien.
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