Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)

I thank Senator Kelly for bringing forward the Wind Turbines Bill 2012, as well as speakers on all sides of the House for their constructive remarks on specific issues relating to the Bill and more general issues pertaining to sustainable and renewable energy. My specific remit as Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government is in planning but much of this debate revolved around the more general issue of supply of energy. As Senator Barrett noted, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government is carrying out a review of this area. The question that arises for me, however, is whether we should use guidelines or primary legislation to govern our planning decisions. I am happy to engage Senators on that question.

The issue of wind energy specifically and the wider related matters of energy security, emissions reduction, economic renewal by harnessing our abundant renewable energy sources and job creation are high on the Government's agenda. We have set challenging international and domestic targets in this area but are preparing to meet them head on.

Under the renewable energy directive to which Senator Comiskey referred, Directive 2009/28/EC, Ireland was set a binding national target by the European Union of ensuring that 16% of all energy consumed will be from renewable sources by 2020. National targets of 40% electricity, 12% heating and cooling and 10% transport are commensurate with our overall target. Renewable energy supplies of approximately 1,800 MW are currently operational, with just over 1,500 MW coming from wind power, 240 MW from hydro-generation and 30 MW from biomass renewable generation. Operators of a further 1,000 MW of new renewable generation from the gate one and gate two group processing series have signed grid connection offers and are awaiting grid connection, mainly in the next year or two. As part of the gate three process, offers amounting to an additional 3,900 MW have issued to renewable generators. This quantum of renewable generation is in line with achieving Ireland's target.

While wind energy development has been taking place in Ireland for some time, ocean technologies are still at the research and development phase and wave energy devices do not operate on a commercial scale anywhere in the world. Nevertheless, our universities and the Marine Institute are pursuing research and other initiatives in the ocean energy sector and a test site for devices has been established in Galway Bay. The eventual intention is to be able to test full scale grid connected pre-commercial wave energy prototypes and to facilitate the achievement of this goal the ocean energy development unit in the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland has been pursuing a strategy of developing a site where this testing could take place.

The importance of planning for this type of development is fully recognized by the Government. The programme for Government states that a future gate four, if required, will be plan-led. In other words, future wind farms are to be built at locations where the wind regime is best and in numbers or clusters to reduce the cost of connection to the grid. Clearly, our ambition in the area of renewable energy requires that our planning system is properly equipped to play its part in a way that achieves the optimal balance between the delivery of key national energy infrastructure and the land use impacts of such development on local communities and the environment.

Senator Kelly is proposing the introduction in primary legislation of binding distance requirements from private homes with the specific distance being determined by reference to turbine height. The Bill is closely modelled on a Private Members' Bill presented to the House of Lords last June, albeit with some lessening of the required distances for each of the four size categories of turbine. I appreciate the concerns that have prompted Senator Kelly to bring this Bill before the Oireachtas and I commend him on his work. I agree with Senators Bacik and O'Keeffe that the Seanad is an appropriate venue for bringing forward this type of legislation. However, we need to consider whether legislation, particularly when legislating in this manner, is the most appropriate way to address those concerns. I advise Senator Daly that I am keeping my mind open on that question.