Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

126. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if his Department has developed or holds any strategic mapping or spatial planning data identifying areas where wind farms are viable; if so, whether such maps are available to the public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45663/25]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

192. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government when the co-ordinated mapping for the deployment of renewable energy under Article 15b of the RED III Directive is due to be completed; which public authority or authorities are carrying it out; and whether the results of the mapping will be published. [47098/25]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

207. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government when the co-ordinated mapping for the deployment of renewable energy under Article 15b of the RED III Directive is due to be completed and the public authority or authorities carrying it out; and whether the results of the mapping will be published. [47472/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 126, 192 and 207 together.

Under the aegis of the Accelerating Renewable Electricity Taskforce, which was established under my Department, work is underway to carry out a coordinated national mapping exercise in compliance with the requirements of Article 15b of the recast Renewable Electricity Directive 2023/2413 (RED III).

This work has been undertaken in consultation with all thirty-one local authorities, noting that lands have already been identified and designated by several Local Authorities, in existing City/County Development Plans, for renewable energy development, in particular grid scale onshore wind and solar PV. These plans have been subject to environmental assessments and statutory public consultation and are adopted by the each Local Authority.

On this basis, my Department wrote to each Local Authority and requested that they provide their existing spatial plans. This material has been received and collated into national territory maps, depicting those areas designated by Local Authorities for both grid scale onshore wind and solar PV, and amalgamates and harmonises all the various Local Authority designations into uniform national classifications. It is important to note that these maps do not alter or amend any existing City/County Development Plan, nor does it affect their status under any enactment.

On Wednesday 3rd September 2025, my Department launched a non-statutory Public Consultation on the national territory mapping, running until Friday 10th October 2025. This non-statutory public consultation aims to take into account the views of the public, in the inclusion of areas already designated for renewable energy generation in existing plans for the purposes of the mapping exercise required under Article 15b of REDIII.

The purpose of the Public Consultation is also to invite any key considerations from the public, in preparing a draft plan for the designation of at least one Renewable Acceleration Area, as required under Article 15c of REDIII, noting that any area must be a “sub-set” of the areas identified in the “national territory mapping” exercise.

Further information on this Public Consultation is available on my Department’s website.

Following the completion of the consultation process, it is envisaged that the final agreed national territory mapping and associated outputs will be communicated to the European Commission as soon as possible and made publicly available.