John Kelly (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I support Senator Whelan's comments on wind energy and his call for the resignation of Mr. Brendan Halligan. The wind energy project is an almighty mess, which could have been resolved in 2012 by the adoption of my wind turbines Bill. People were prepared to accept wind turbines if the set back distances were fair to them. My Bill is in line with the Cloghan judgment of An Bord Pleanála. As a result of my legislation not being adopted, there will be a mass protest on the streets of Dublin on 5 March and people will have their say then.

The pylons issue is similar. It was not dealt with and now we have an almighty mess. In the Cathaoirleach's own county, people will not accept undergrounding. There are various reports questioning the feasibility of the pylon project. The most recent, conducted by BW Energy Consultants and commissioned by Rethink Pylons, warned: "The case for exporting wind power to Britain is non-existent. Grid extension will not work in Ireland because prices will be too expensive..."-----