O'Connor: Government need to stop jeopardising new renewable energy projects
The Green Party are today calling on Minister James Browne to stop jeopardising new renewable energy projects with new planning laws suddenly introduced over the summer without any prior consultation.
On 12th August, the European Union (Planning and Development) (Renewable Energy) Regulations 2025 were signed into law by the Minister, without advance notice or an information campaign, casting doubt on many renewable energy projects that are in the planning system. These new regulations bring in new processes for applying for renewable energy infrastructure, but the regulations themselves and the manner in which they have been enacted have undermined confidence in the planning system and drawn criticism from professional planners.
Oisín O'Connor, Green Party Planning and Local Government spokesperson explained how this puts vital clean energy projects at risk:
"In mid August, Minister James Browne surprised the whole renewable energy sector by signing off on new regulations that bring uncertainty to the planning process. By doing this without any engagement with planning professionals and the renewable energy industry, the Minister is leaving many wind and solar energy projects open to legal challenge and unnecessary delay.
With the stroke of a pen, the government have drastically rewritten the planning code for renewable energy projects without Oireachtas oversight. We’re unsurprised by incompetence and hostility towards renewables from lawmakers in other countries, but it beggars belief that the Irish government would take this backwards step on wind and solar energy."
The Green Party calls on the Minister to delay the implementation of these changes until the end of December, to give renewable energy firms certainty and time to adapt their planning applications to the new changes.
"This is not just a small technical change in regulations - it undermines confidence in the planning system and puts up an obstacle to renewable energy infrastructure. We need the government to take renewable energy seriously and not jeopardise projects that will help Ireland meet our clean, renewable energy target of 80% by 2030."
Councillor O'Connor continued: "Since the Green Party upped Ireland's climate ambition in 2021, Ireland's Climate Action Plan has included a target to increase the share of electricity generated from renewable sources up to 80% in 2030. Successive Fianna Fáil Ministers have failed to meet any of our housing targets which is having a devastating impact on people at the sharp end of the housing crisis. We should not accept their incompetence in putting our renewable energy targets at risk too."
