The Tánaiste has called on the ESB to quickly resolve the long-running saga of the Derrybrien wind farm in Co. Galway.
In 2003, there was a major landslide as the wind farm was being constructed by a subsidiary company owned by the ESB, which had “significant effects on the environment”.
In November 2019, Ireland was fined €5 million in the European Court of Justice for the state’s failure to carry out an environmental impact assessment at the site.
Since then, a further €15,000 a day has been added by the court meaning that the Irish taxpayer is currently facing a €17 million fine.
To date, the State has paid over €13 million to the European Commission in relation to the case.
Last month, An Bord Pleanála decided to refuse substitute consent for the controversial wind farm
Substitute consent seeks retrospective planning permission for a project that is not compliant with EU law and is granted by the planning board in “exceptional circumstances”.
The board said that remedial works carried out at the site could not mitigate the environmental impact which it said was “clear, profound and unacceptable”.
Operations at the 70-turbine wind farm in the northern part of the Slieve Aughty Mountains have been suspended since the ruling. The ESB is continuing to review the decision.
Wind farm
The matter was raised in the Dáil today (Thursday, March 3) by Fine Gael TD Ciarán Cannon who questioned if the State was going to continue to pay fines in relation to the wind farm.
“It is critical that in seeking to develop our land wind energy resources, we do it in an environmentally sustainable way.
“Bearing in mind that An Bord Pleanála has refused consent, is this now an unauthorised development?” the Galway representative asked.
In response, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said that “this is a long-running saga and has been going on for far too long”.
“I am a big fan of the ESB as a company but it has not covered itself in glory when it comes to this issue.
“A decision has to be made by ESB. It has to take a case to the court or demolish and remove the wind farm. It is one or the other.
“It is a decision for that company but it has to resolve this quickly,” Varadkar concluded.