Mike Kennelly (Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I welcome the Minister of State. I am raising a matter of utmost urgency and national importance, namely, the development of our clean energy infrastructure. As the Minister of State knows, our climate action plan commits us to deep cuts in carbon emissions and a rapid transition from fossil fuels to renewables. On wind energy, the wind energy development guidelines first issued in 2006 and most recently reviewed in draft form in 2019 provide a clear framework for evaluating wind farm applications. They set out criteria on noise, visual impact, shadow flicker, grid connections and community consultation obligations. Those guidelines sit within the broader national planning framework, which envisages wind energy as central to our energy mix to 2040 and beyond. I welcome those developments and have constantly said wind energy must be deployed responsibility, with full protection of residential amenities and rural communities. The guidelines ensure the proper setbacks, environmental impact assessments and community dividends are secured before the turbines go up.

Wind alone will not suffice. Solar energy has an equally important role to play in our transition and the programme for Government explicitly commits to introducing national planning guidelines for solar farms and to providing certainty for farmers, developers and local authorities alike. Last November, Solar Ireland published best practice guidance covering community engagement, archaeological assessments and glint and glare mitigation. These voluntary standards are a welcome step but they could be strengthened by a unified statutory policy. Without a clear binding framework we risk creating uncertainty that may slow momentum. Investors may hesitate to commit until they see consistent permitting criteria and farmers could pause land agreements as they await clarity. Local authorities working without a common reference point might face longer processing times through the planning system or varying local approaches which in turn can delay projects. Over time these factors can make it harder to scale up solar capacity promptly and smoothly. A national guideline would help align expectations, streamline decision-making and maintain community confidence. It would ensure projects are distributed in a balanced way, support grid connection planning and give all stakeholders, including farmers, developers, councils and neighbours, a shared roadmap for successful, responsible deployment. I therefore ask the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when we can expect to see these national planning guidelines for solar farms published and implemented.

Farmers are keen to diversify their incomes. Communities stand ready to support clean energy and investors need certainty before moving forward. A clear timeline would give local authorities the confidence to process applications efficiently and demonstrate our collective commitment to climate goals and rural development. I and the people I represent totally support every form of clean energy, from wind farms to solar to anaerobic digestion and any emerging technologies. Ireland must embrace all available alternatives to coal and oil. Ensuring we have a robust, transparent and timely planning process for each technology is not optional - it is our responsibility. I am asking the Minister of State to outline a timetable for the publication of solar planning guidelines. Let us give certainty to the local authorities, clarity to our communities and confidence to the investor. In doing so we will honour our climate responsibilities, strengthen rural economies and secure a cleaner, more resilient energy future for Ireland.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

It is really refreshing and encouraging to hear the agreement that we need to push for clean, renewable energy. I totally take the Senator's point on the need for guidelines to be brought forward as quickly as possible.

The Programme for Government 2025 - Securing Ireland’s Future reaffirms Ireland’s ambitious targets of 8 GW of solar capacity connected to the grid by 2030 to assist with meeting the requirement of 80% of electricity demand supplied by renewables. Solar energy is a growing source of electricity, with approximately 1.76 GW of solar photovoltaic, PV, capacity currently installed. However, further solar capacity is required.

The programme for Government also contains a commitment to a land use review to ensure that optimal land-use options inform all relevant Government decisions. The second phase of the review, which is currently under way, will seek to identify the key demands on land to inform policies for land use across key Government objectives, improving socioeconomic, climate, biodiversity, water and air quality outcomes.

From a planning perspective, the programme for Government contains a commitment to introduce planning guidelines in respect of solar energy developments. In light of this commitment, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has begun an initial scoping process to identify the component factors relevant to the preparation of these guidelines, including the possible timeframe for publication.

Until the planning guidelines for solar energy developments are finalised, it remains the case that there are no specific planning guidelines in place that deal with solar energy development, as is the case for most types of development. In making a decision on a planning application for a solar energy development, a planning authority must consider the specific merits or otherwise of the application, in line with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

With respect to the regulation of solar energy developments more generally, planning plays an important role in this regard from both a policy and legislative perspective. From a policy perspective, the national planning framework, NPF, which was revised by my Department this year, sets the long-term strategy for the spatial development of Ireland to 2040 and informs a spatial hierarchy of plans that cascade to regional and local levels. The revised NPF enhances policy support for renewable energy development, including, in particular, the introduction of regional renewable electricity capacity allocations for solar generation development to achieve the national targets set out in the climate action plan. These allocations will be integrated into regional spatial and economic strategies, which will in turn inform city and county development plans and will lead to the identification of areas towards which large-scale solar energy development will be directed, and areas which may not be appropriate for such development.

From a planning legislation perspective, the Planning and Development Act 2024 delivers a range of measures to enhance the existing legislative framework. The Act provides for the alignment of the plan-making hierarchy to ensure greater consistency between national policy and local implementation, as well as providing greater certainty for stakeholders at all stages of the planning process.

The Senator may have picked up from the response that at the moment the areas that those responsible are scoping out the relevant areas in terms of the guidelines. I dislike the word "scoping" when I see it in an answer because it is almost like it is kicking the can down the road a bit. Within my Department, I will certainly stress the urgency, working with the Minister of State with responsibility for planning, Deputy John Cummins, to ensure that these guidelines are expedited. There is no timeline at the moment. That is not good enough. We need to get timelines in place in order that communities will know what they are dealing with. We need more renewable energy online. I often hear in communities that rural Ireland has already done enough. I am not sure that is the case. There is scope for more onshore wind and solar energy. We are only just realising the potential in that regard. We need to get to 80% renewables by 2030. That is a big ask. We are going to have to develop more renewable sources in all parts of Ireland.

Mike Kennelly (Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I welcome the Minister of State's use of the word "expedited". He will expedite the process of developing the guidelines and implementing them. What we do not want here is communities up in arms. When the turbine industry was really getting going and being built, communities were torn apart. There was no communication. There were barriers. There were no guidelines or policy. Now we are going much the same route for solar planning and we need matters expedited. Let us keep communities together and work with them. I request that communities be made aware of any future developments in respect of solar farms. There is an application going in now, but communities are not being made aware of it. Let us bring everyone together and bring communities together. We will do so. I appreciate the Minister of State's answer. I hope that we will have the guidelines in the near future.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I appreciate the Senator's approach. He is clearly indicating that we need more renewables and is simply asking that there are guidelines in order that we can avoid a lot of the stress and strain that has been caused in different communities. That is still happening to an extent. These developments can be quite daunting for many smaller communities. It is such an alien concept to have infrastructure like this in some of the most scenic parts of Ireland. The Senator is right. We should have developed the guidelines for wind generation earlier. We need to accelerate the guidelines for solar energy. It would benefit everybody. Communities would know where they stand and what to expect. They would know where these types of development should be located and the restrictions and conditions of them. I fully agree. The Senator said it - there is a huge opportunity here for Ireland. Offshore is a good bit away yet. There is still great scope for more renewable energy on the mainland. I will bring the matter to the attention of the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins.