I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "That" and substitute the following: "Dáil Éireann resolves that the Wind Turbine Regulation Bill 2025 be deemed to be read a second time this day twelve months, to allow for further consideration of the Bill.". This is to allow for sufficient time for full consideration of the Bill and for the development of Government proposals before the end of 2026, specifically the finalisation of the national planning statement on wind energy. I thank Deputy Stanley for bringing forward this Private Members’ Bill regarding the regulation of wind turbines. He spoke with passion and a real depth of understanding of the topic itself. This Bill is no doubt well intended and aims to regulate wind energy development by addressing a number of key issues. However, I am this evening proposing a timing amendment as I believe that many of the matters raised in this Bill would be better addressed as part of an ongoing review of the existing 2006 wind energy development guidelines and our intention is to publish a national planning statement on wind energy as part of that process. I am concerned that key provisions set out in the Bill are inconsistent with the State’s energy security objectives, climate obligations and the commitment in the programme for Government to accelerate the delivery of renewable electricity. First, it is necessary to set out the wider context of the issue, which many Deputies here will be more than aware of. The programme for Government has reaffirmed Ireland’s target of 80% of electricity demand to be met by renewables in the near future, with plans to move to a net-zero situation by 2050. The speedy deployment of renewable electricity is our energy insurance policy and the foundation for Ireland’s transition to a low-carbon, sustainable economy. The accelerated delivery of infrastructure is a major Government priority and our renewable energy programme is central to that. Regarding the role of wind, we have a target of 9 GW of installed capacity provided for in the climate action plan and the national planning framework to be achieved by 2030. Ireland is a world leader in the deployment of wind energy, and its integration into our grid and the continued delivery of wind energy onshore and offshore is essential to safeguarding energy security and to supply affordable energy to our homes and businesses. Through the accelerated renewable electricity task force and the offshore wind delivery task force, the Government is committed to a strong delivery programme for onshore and offshore renewables and to supporting infrastructure to ensure there is a clean and flexible energy supply that keeps pace with economic growth and meets growing demand for electricity from new homes, the electrification of heat and transport and from large energy users. We are committed to the continued sustainable deployment of onshore wind across our region in line with the allocations set out in the national planning framework and supported by strong community engagement, community benefits and planning guidance through a national planning statement. I will explain the planning context more fully in a moment. As Deputy Stanley and many Members of the House will be aware, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is currently undertaking a focused review of the 2006 wind energy guidelines, which will inform a new national planning statement under the new Planning and Development Act 2024. The review is addressing a number of key aspects of the guidelines, including setback distance, as well as in relation to noise, shadow flicker, community obligation, community dividend and grid connections. The aim of the review is to strike an appropriate balance between addressing the concerns of local communities by ensuring greater and earlier community engagement by wind energy developers while maintaining Ireland’s ability to deliver on its binding climate and renewable energy policy obligations. While the review of the guidelines has been ongoing for a number of years now, which the Deputy eloquently outlined too, significant progress has been made towards concluding the review process. Chapters 1 and 4 of Part 3 of the Planning and Development Act 2024 came into effect on 2 October 2025, which provided the statutory basis for the national planning framework and regional, spatial and economic strategies and introduced provisions for the national planning statement. The national planning statement replaces section 28 planning guidance, which the previous wind energy guidelines issued. Therefore, the revised wind guidelines, once finalised, will issue as a national planning statement under the 2024 Act. Further to this, in light of the evolving policy and legislative framework, there is a need to ensure the national planning statement is fit for purpose while having appropriate regard to the impacts of wind energy development, including in relation to matters raised by Deputy Stanley’s Bill. Since the conclusion of the public consultation in February 2020, work on the technical noise elements of the revised guidelines has caused a delay in their finalisation. Ongoing work in relation to the noise elements of the draft guidelines has necessitated a substantial rewrite of the noise guidance issued for public consultation to both simplify the approach and to present it in a manner that is more easily understood and implemented by developers and planning authorities. In this regard, the Department of housing, in conjunction with the Department of Climate, Energy and Environment, in the context of its environmental noise, climate and renewable energy policy remit, has been working to advance guidance on the noise aspects of the guidelines, which is highly technical in nature. This work is substantially completed. In addition to the work on the noise aspect of the draft national planning statement, the changing and continuously evolving policy and technical context, including the 2024 Act and the revision of the national planning framework, NPF, reinforces the need to ensure that the finalised guidelines, once issued, are fit for purpose. Both of these contain important changes that wind policy must be cognisant of, as well as European obligations such as the renewable energies directive and other environmental considerations. Work is under way to formulate wind guidelines into the draft national planning statement, which will then be environmentally assessed and informed by a public consultation that will inform the final version submitted to Government for approval and implementation across the tiers of the planning system. It is imperative that a robust and up-to-date policy is provided that will take account of the evolving policy and legislative context of the technological progress of the past decades and of the informed decisions of stakeholders and the public itself. To conclude, Ireland currently has over 5 GW in onshore wind generation with a target of 9 GW provided for in the climate action plan and national planning framework by 2030. Meeting our national targets for wind energy will require further integration of renewable technologies in an appropriate manner and in full consultation with local communities. The forthcoming national planning statement, NPS, will provide the processes and policies that provide for appropriate regulation of new wind energy development proposals as well as compliance with existing and future national, EU and international renewable energy policies and targets.

Sentiment score: 0.37

I thank the Deputies for their contributions. It has been a very thought-provoking, pragmatic and respectful debate and I very much appreciate that. I commend Deputy Stanley on raising the matter and the work that he has put into this Bill. I appreciate that it is an area that generates a lot of interest and debate across the country. The Government believes in the importance of public participation within our planning system. Any draft national planning statement, NPS, will be put out to public consultation, whereby all interested parties will have an opportunity to submit observations. The finalised NPS will be prepared following detailed analysis and consideration of submissions received during the consultation phase. The Government is confident that, while the review is being finalised and the planning system is capable of assessing applications for wind for wind energy development, connection proposals for wind energy development are subject to the same statutory requirements as other forms of proposed development. In making decisions on planning applications for any type of development, including wind energy development, any planning authority or board, as appropriate, must consider the proper planning and sustainable development of the area. The 2006 wind energy guidelines remain in force and planning authorities and the board must have regard to these guidelines in the performance of their functions. As such, it is considered that the planning policy and the legislative framework is in place to enable planning authorities and the board to make decisions on planning applications in respect of wind energy developments, in line with our planning and sustainable development, pending the finalisation of the revised national planning statement. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is satisfied that the existing and evolving planning system, supported by the Government policy more generally, provides a sufficiently robust policy and legislative framework to facilitate the roll-out of renewable energy development in a sustainable manner and to assist with meeting our needs of renewable energy requirements while balancing the perspective of local communities and allowing for public and stakeholder engagement. There is a need to develop as much onshore renewable energy capacity as possible in the coming years. The proposed restrictions in the Bill are also inconsistent with the work being undertaken by the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation on accelerating infrastructure delivery and the expected report with recommendations on same that is due to be brought to Government shortly. There is an increasingly urgent need to accelerate the delivery of infrastructure, including to ensure that our energy supply and networks can support the additional demands placed on them by the State's continued economic growth. It is important to recognise that there has been opposition to wind energy developments from some communities due to concerns in relation to the scale of proposed developments and the perceived potential impacts. The updated national planning statement will aim to adopt a more balanced approach to addressing local community concerns while also facilitating the roll-out of wind energy development to assist in meeting Ireland's renewable energy targets. This balanced approach is considered more appropriate given current climate concerns and the approach outlined in the Bill. In conclusion, as my colleague outlined in his speech, many of the provisions in the Bill are already being addressed in the context of the ongoing review of the existing wind guidelines. I also have significant concerns that the key measures within the Bill would jeopardise the State's ability to roll-out renewable energy and meet its legally binding targets in that regard. Accordingly, I wish to confirm that the Government proposes a timed amendment of 12 months.

Sentiment score: 0.47