Renewable energy businesses believed that planning delays and insufficient grid capacity will prevent Ireland from reaching the 2030 target for renewable energy including offshore wind, a consultancy report says.
The KPMG report commissioned by Wind Energy Ireland (WEI) says that this view is shared by 95 per cent of “industry experts”.
Entitled “Act now - Accelerating onshore renewable energy in Ireland”, the industry-wide stakeholder consultation identifies key issues that must be addressed to accelerate the delivery of onshore renewable energy in Ireland.
The report found that planning delays, insufficient grid capacity and a lack of joined-up thinking in policy development is slowing project delivery and putting Ireland’s renewable energy targets in jeopardy, WEI says.
WEI chief executive Noel Cunniffe said the report “should be a wake-up call to anyone who wants to cut our carbon emissions and end our dependency on imported fossil fuels”.
“I believe we can, and must, be a leader in Europe’s energy revolution. We have the natural resources, we have the project pipeline, and we have the ambition,” he said.
“This report highlights the obstacles to achieving these ambitions. Our planning system is overwhelmed, our grid has reached capacity, and our policy lacks that joined-up thinking needed to fulfil our potential. These challenges must be addressed, and fast,” Cunliffe said.
“No one questions the commitment, at every level of Government, of those struggling to deliver these policies, but they simply do not have anything close to the resources they need,” he continued.
“Government and industry should be working together to accelerate the delivery of onshore renewables, to design a policy framework, a planning system and supportive grid infrastructure that is fully equipped to deliver our ambitions, “he said.
One of the report’s recommendations is that the Government should set up a task force to co-ordinate onshore renewables, similar to that in place for offshore renewables.
The report highlights three key priorities for Government to address if we are to have any chance of meeting our targets:
It also calls for a properly resourced planning system, a complete overhaul of the grid, and “more joined-up thinking” on policy.