John McGahon (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will raise the Wind Turbine Regulation Bill 2020, which was withdrawn by Sinn Féin in the Dáil this week. It is important to recognise the huge contribution wind energy makes to this country. Some 5,000 are employed in it and if we hit our targets by 2030, another 2,000 people will be employed in it. It contributes €410 million to the economy every year. The problem with the legislation was the fact it would have increased the distance of wind turbines from homes to ten times the height of the turbine. At present, it is three to four times the height of the turbine. If one was to increase it to ten times the height of the turbine, from any dwelling anywhere in the country, this would mean the land space for any wind turbine is null and void. If one were to increase it by four times, that reduces 45% of the land available to wind turbines in Ireland. If that is 40% at four times the height, imagine what it would be at ten times the height. That is not me saying that, but it is Maynooth University saying that in a study it carried out.

The reason I raise this is I am travelling to Glasgow in a few days for COP26. It is a week in which the world is meeting to discuss how we stop global temperatures rising and coming together to ask how we can combat climate action. On one hand, we have the cleanest, safest and most renewable form of technology in the world, which we should be using and can become a huge natural resource for Ireland, while on the other hand, we have a political party that, thankfully, withdrew a Bill, but one which was knocking around for seven years. Just last year, on 24 November 2020, was reintroduced for the third time. The Bill would have dramatically reduced and basically made null and void the ability to build inland wind turbines. We all have to be on the same page and to make the same sacrifices and move the same way. It is not on that we have people who claim they fight in support of climate justice, while introducing legislation that would hinder renewable energy.