Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 192: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the Clare wind energy strategy which is at variation to the Clare county development plan; if his further attention has been drawn to the fact that it was proposed by the council executive and unanimously approved by the members of Clare County Council on 14 December 2009 with the strong support of a political party (details supplied) following a year long review process and that the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources has welcomed that strategy in principle; if he will endorse the Clare wind energy strategy and commend it to other county councils and regional authorities as a template for a renewable energy strategy which should be included in their development plans, many of which are currently under review; his views on this strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8374/10]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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The Government is committed to delivering a significant growth in renewable energy as a contribution to fuel diversity in power generation with a 2020 target of 40% of electricity consumption. Wind energy will provide the pivotal contribution to achieving this target.

My Department's Wind Energy Development Guidelines issued to planning authorities in June 2006, and available on my Department's website at www.environ.ie, offer advice, inter alia, on wind energy and the development plan to ensure consistency of approach throughout the country for wind energy development.

In my role as statutory consultee in relation to development plans and variations to development plans, my Department provided observations which commended Variation No. 2 (Wind Farm Strategy) to the Clare County Development Plan 2005-2011.