An Bord Pleanála, Ireland's planning authority, approved 10 new wind farms in 2024, with a combined capacity of 717 megawatts (MW), significantly below the government's targets for the sector. The approval represents just 42% of the amount of wind energy needed to stay on track with the 2030 objectives outlined in the Climate Action Plan.
According to the first annual planning report from Wind Energy Ireland, released on Thursday at the organization's Annual Conference in Dublin, the board's approvals in 2024 were far below the 1,720 MW required to meet Ireland's goal of generating 9,000 MW from onshore wind by the end of the decade.
In addition to the 10 approved projects, An Bord Pleanála rejected planning applications from 12 wind farms, totaling 677 MW. Another 30 projects, amounting to 1,598 MW, were still awaiting decisions by the end of 2024.
Noel Cunniffe, Chief Executive Officer of Wind Energy Ireland, emphasized the need for faster progress. “Irish people want clean, affordable and secure energy. That is what wind farms deliver but we will need more of them to provide the power Irish families, businesses and communities' demand,” Cunniffe said. “Before we can build new wind farms, we need to first get them through the planning system and we are simply not seeing enough new projects to enable us to reach our 2030 targets.”
Despite the shortfall, the wind energy industry welcomed a 16% increase in the number of planning decisions made in 2024 compared to the previous year. Notably, half of all wind energy projects that received approval last year were granted in the final quarter, a significant improvement compared to earlier in the year when only one project was approved in Q3.
Cunniffe acknowledged An Bord Pleanála's efforts, particularly towards the end of the year. “An Bord Pleanála deserves credit for the increase in the amount of planning decisions being made, particularly towards the end of last year,” he said. “But it is essential that the performance in Q4 of last year becomes the new normal, that we can maintain that pace of decision-making and even accelerate further in the months ahead.”
The report's findings suggest that while there has been some progress, Ireland's wind energy sector still faces significant challenges in meeting its 2030 climate goals.
