Galway TD seeks emergency legislation on Derrybrien windfarm

After losing a lengthy legal battle, the ESB recently said it will decommission the 70-turbine wind farm in the Sliabh Aughty mountains.

But Galway East Independent TD Seán Canney said it would be a mistake to dismantle the facility – which is producing green energy at a time when supply is uncertain and costs are soaring due to the Russian war on Ukraine.

The former minister told the Dáil that the Government must introduce legislation to allow the ESB to keep the 49.9MW wind farm open.

“It has generated green electricity to serve 44,000 homes since 2006, and it is something we need to examine very closely. I ask the Government to intercede and bring in emergency legislation to keep that vital green energy going. We have made a mess of it between planning and substitute consents. We need emergency planning to get that right. We need to hold on to what we have. At the same time while we are losing that green energy, we want to tax people in the constituency of Galway East for the fact they have no alternative,” Deputy Canney said.

The wind farm, constructed in 2003, was effectively operating without planning permission. A landslide occurred during construction, pushing thousands of cubic metres of peat down the mountain.

Several county councillors have called for the wind farm to remain open, and now Deputy Canney called on Government to introduce emergency to that effect.

During the same debate, Deputy Canney said there was an increased resistance to imposing carbon tax on people “who are not seeing the benefit and will not see a benefit for the foreseeable future”.

“I am very concerned this plan to transition us away from fossil fuels to green energy and the elimination of the fossil fuels is in tatters. There is no joined-up thinking and there is no plan where we can see the annual targets that may be achieved. We have something that will be achieved in the next ten to 15 years but we do not know how we are going to get there,” Deputy Canney said.

This is a shortened preview version of this article. To read the rest of the story, see the May 6 edition of the Connacht Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.