Irish wind farms providing 42 per cent of the Ireland’s electricity, slightly more than in January but down on the record-breaking performance in February 2022, according to Wind Energy Ireland. Driven by wind’s strong performance average prices on the wholesale electricity market fell to their lowest point since November 2022.
Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, said: “Irish wind farms provided nearly half the country’s electricity in the first two months of the year. Every unit of power they produce pushes fossil fuels off the electricity system, helping to cut our carbon emissions and to insulate families and businesses from the worst effects of the energy price crisis.
“We expect to see significant progress this year with new wind farms connecting to the grid, solar projects coming on stream and the first offshore wind projects applying for planning permission.
“But it is Ireland’s planning system that remains the main barrier to the rapid development of renewable energy in this country. Projects are queued up in An Bord Pleanála with very few signs of progress or improvement. We cannot build renewable energy and reinforce our electricity grid with a planning system that is fundamentally broken.
“The reforms the Government is bringing forward to the planning system can certainly help but the key issue of under-resourcing is going to remain. There simply are not enough people with the right skills in agencies like An Bord Pleanála and the National Parks & Wildlife Service.”
