Ireland’s onshore wind industry is being held back by persistent planning delays that risk derailing the country’s 2030 renewable energy targets, the Irish Wind Farmers’ Association (IWFA) said ahead of its annual conference later this month.
IWFA chairperson Richard Walshe said the sector has hit a standstill due to ongoing inefficiencies in the planning system. “We’ve reached an impasse,” he said. “Without decisive action, planning obstacles pose a serious threat to achieving the commitments outlined in Ireland’s Climate Action Plan.”
The Climate Action Plan calls for 9 gigawatts (GW) of onshore wind generation by 2030. However, the IWFA warned that this goal is “slipping out of reach” without faster decision-making and clearer leadership from government agencies.
“We urgently need reform in the planning process,” Walshe said. He added that “current projects with full planning permission granted by An Bord Pleanála are set back or delayed due to minor clerical errors or resolvable issues, such as tree felling.”
The association’s annual conference will take place on 27 November at the Lyrath Estate Hotel in Kilkenny, sponsored by Flogas. The event will address key issues including planning reform, grid connection challenges, the growing role of battery energy storage, and policies linked to the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme.
The IWFA said local communities are not receiving the necessary support to participate effectively in wind energy development. Conference sessions will also cover recent updates to the Planning Development Act, hybrid grid connections, and the integration of Sustainable Energy Community projects and biodiversity initiatives.
Speakers include Lisa Foley from Cornwall Insight, Paul McGoldrick from the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, and Barry Caslin from Teagasc.
The conference, themed “Accelerating Renewables to 2030: Ireland’s Progress and Response to the EU’s Renewable Energy Ambition,” aims to bring together policymakers, industry leaders and planners to advance Ireland’s clean energy transition.
