Wind Energy Ireland has called for the government to provide more funding for the planning system and for investment in port infrastructure to assist with the development of offshore wind energy projects.
In its Budget 2025 submission, the wind energy industry group said the planning system needed to be sufficiently funded to reduce delays and warned that the Budget may be the last chance to put in place the necessary resources to enable Ireland to deliver on the government’s Climate Action Plan.
“We are simply not building wind farms quickly enough to keep up with the scale of renewable energy deployment we need,” said Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland
“This means higher bills, more fossil fuel imports and even more carbon emissions.”
“Recent investments in State agencies such as An Bord Pleanála and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) have improved the speed of decision-making on planning applications which is very positive.
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