John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in the context of Ireland's newly signed Memorandum of Understanding with the UK for the export of wind generated electricity, the number of wind farm developments that have been granted planning permission, by county, over the past five years; the number of proposed wind farm developments that have been refused planning permission, by county, over the past five years; the number of local authority permissions or refusals for proposed wind farm developments, by county, that have been either overturned or upheld on appeal to An Bord Pleanála in the past five years. [5013/13]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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My Department does not track the number of individual wind farm developments granted or refused planning permission or that were subject to appeal on a national or county basis. In addition to planning permission, in order to connect to the electricity grid in Ireland, windfarm developers require a grid connection. The grid connection process is vested in the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER). CER issued the Gate 3 direction in December 2008 (CER 08/260 available at .). This sets out the list of renewable generators entitled to a grid connection offer under the Gate 3 process. The Department monitors the number of windfarms connected to the grid and contracted to connect to the grid (i.e. that have accepted their grid connection offers.) This data is publicly available on the EirGrid and ESB Networks websites ( and www.esb.ie.)

In terms of the MoU signed with the United Kingdom, this is an interim step on the agreement of a programme of work to be taken forward in the coming year, with the objective of reaching a mutually beneficial inter-governmental agreement on renewable trading. No decision has yet been taken on the selection process for projects under a potential intergovernmental agreement.