Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I raise an important issue relating to the development of wind turbines in County Meath. As the Minister of State, Deputy Fergus O'Dowd, is aware, negotiations have been ongoing between the Governments in Britain and Ireland to put together a memorandum of understanding on the export of electricity between the two countries, which would result in industrial size wind turbines being erected in large parts of County Meath.

Prior to the election, the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Rabbitte, announced that the project would not go ahead. Many residents in areas affected across the country were very happy with the news. Exactly a week after the local elections, a notice of pre-planning consultation was lodged under the umbrella of the Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Act. The proposal related to 50 wind turbines in County Meath. Recently, the company concerned issued a press statement to the effect that it is now involved in a different project to generate electricity for the domestic market and that the project is not dependent on the intergovernmental agreement. It seems strange that the project could proceed so quickly with a planning application, which the company says is slightly different from what was previously intended, following a major Government announcement on the project.

I wish to clarify the Government’s position. Have there been any further developments on the intergovernmental agreement? Was the Government given notice of the planning application? The Government would have been in contact with the wind farm companies in recent years. The Minister, Deputy Rabbitte, addressed a number of conferences on wind energy. What is happening from the Government’s point of view? Is the project authorised by the Government? Is the Government encouraging it? Does the Government know anything about the project in order that we can tell local residents what is going on? Residents consider what is proposed to be a complete contradiction of what was said by the Government three to four weeks ago.