Independent TD Seán Canney has called on the government to immediately introduce emergency regulations to reverse the decommissioning of the wind turbines in Derrybrien, Co. Galway.
Operations at the wind farm ceased in March after the ESB confirmed the decommissioning following An Bord Pleanála’s decision to not grant retrospective planning permission.
Solutions to tackle the ongoing energy crisis and to provide energy security are available, however urgent government action is needed, according to the independent TD.
“The energy supply this winter is very uncertain and we need to make every effort to boost supply,” he said.
“There is an opportunity to provide green electricity by turning the turbines back on – providing electricity to 40,000 homes.”
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/day has been added by the court.
However, the independent TD said he believes Ireland can get a derogation from Europe due to the present energy crisis.
The government should also look at reopening the two peat-burning power stations to ensure electricity for homes and businesses over the winter, the deputy said.
“After all, Germany is now re-opening coal-burning power stations to deal with its crisis,” he said.
The country’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, announced that coal-fired power stations are “temporarily restarting operations”, according to Germany’s international broadcaster, Deutsche Welle.
“We need to act fast, and I believe we have the solutions at hand, but we need the government to be decisive in the interest of its citizens,” said Deputy Canney.
Derrybrien wind farm
In 2003, there was a major landslide as the wind farm was being constructed by Gort Windfarms Ltd., which had “significant effects on the environment”.
Previously, a spokesperson for ESB told Agriland that the decommissioning means that all 70 wind turbines will be dismantled and removed from the site. A process will have to be gone through to complete the decommissioning, which, the spokesperson said, will take a number of months.