Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Aontaím leis an Seanadóir gur ábhar an-tábhachtach é seo agus is maith an rud é go bhfuil seans againn é a phlé inniu.

My Department is currently developing a renewable electricity policy and development framework, which will be underpinned by a strategic environmental assessment and what is called an appropriate assessment. The proposed framework will be completed in 2015, and will address policy and development to 2030 and beyond. It will give guidance to those seeking development consent, primarily in relation to large-scale renewable electricity projects - those above 50 MW. It will also provide guidance to An Bord Pleanála, the planning authorities, other statutory authorities, and the general public. It will have a spatial component, which will influence regional planning guidelines and any revised national spatial strategy or national equivalent.

It is not envisaged that the development of wind farms will stop while the new framework is being drawn up, because the continued development of wind power is increasing our security of energy supply, delivering environmentally sustainable energy, and helping us meet our carbon emission and renewable energy targets.

However, local communities will continue to benefit from the existing and robust legislative and regulatory framework for planning applications for wind farms. It is right that there should be such a robust framework which is determined by the existing Planning and Development Acts 2000 to 2014. Under those provisions, and I would stress to the Senator that I do not have responsibility for the planning code, my colleague Deputy Kelly does, but for the sake of completeness, virtually all wind farm development projects require planning permission. The only exceptions are some small individual turbines. In most cases, application for planning permission must be made to a local authority in the first instance. The application may subsequently be the subject of an appeal to An Bord Pleanála. In the case of large scale developments above 50 MW, application must be made directly to An Bord Pleanála under the provisions of this strategic infrastructure development system. All wind energy developments with more than five turbines or with an output greater than 5 MW also require an environmental impact assessment. This includes compilation of an environmental impact statement which is a thorough examination of all relevant environmental impacts. Public participation in the planning permission process is facilitated and interested parties are encouraged to make their views known.

Many renewable electricity projects also require an assessment, which is known as an appropriate assessment, under the EU habitats directive. This is a particularly rigorous interrogation of proposed projects to ensure that they do not adversely affect the integrity of any special area of conservation or special protection area. General guidance in respect of wind energy developments is currently set out in the Wind Energy Development Guidelines 2006 for planning authorities published by the former Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The guidelines are currently being revised and will continue to apply after completion and adoption of the proposed renewable electricity policy and development framework that I mentioned earlier. In addition, all local authorities have a development plan which usually covers renewable energy development. Many have a detailed wind energy strategy also. It is envisaged that these policy documents will remain in force until such time as they might be modified in relation to the detailed policies set out in the proposed renewable electricity policy and development framework.

There is a lot of information and reference to different frameworks and policies and so on in my reply. I wish to emphasise to the Senator and to the House that I regard community and citizen consultation as being absolutely critical. We have a huge amount of work to do and great opportunity in developing our White Paper on energy supply and the energy needs of this country for the next generation, for the next 20 or 30 years. We have six or seven months to complete that work.

I would encourage all Members of the Oireachtas - I have said this publicly before - to participate now in this discussion. We have a lot of claims and counterclaims, for example on needs and needs analysis: What is the need? What is the supply we currently have? Did we overestimate it in 2008? Is there a risk we could underestimate it now? The supply of energy and prediction as to the requirement in respect of energy is not an exact science. It is something that is quite dynamic. We need to look to the future. We need to measure what the needs are. There is a huge opportunity for communities who see themselves as affected very often by various projects, including the grid, to participate and to join in that discussion and debate. We are having seminars right throughout the country in respect of the Green Paper which Deputy Pat Rabbitte published earlier this year. I would strongly encourage Senators to take an interest - as I know the Senators here do - in this critically important issue of how we match the undoubted economic and social value of sustainable energy supply with the needs and concerns, and sometimes the fears, of local communities. We can work together in a deliberative fashion to achieve that. I am very keen to do so.