An Bord Pleanála granted planning permission for 10 new wind farms last year

At a combined capacity of 717MW, the planned wind farms would equate to 42% of the volume of wind energy needed to keep on Ireland track to meet targets set out in the Climate Action Plan, according to Wind Energy Ireland.

The wind energy industry body estimates that to achieve 9,000MW of onshore wind energy by 2030, ABP would have needed to approve 1,720MW in wind generation capacity during the period.

The planning board also rejected 12 planning applications with an estimated combined capacity of 677MW, while 30 projects totalling 1,598 MW were awaiting decision at the end of 2024.

“Despite a positive end to last year, today’s report shows that Ireland is still falling behind with just 717 MW of new wind energy projects approved for planning in 2024 when we needed more than double that," said Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland.

“To meet the needs of our growing economy, we need to accelerate the delivery of new onshore and offshore wind farms and reinforce the electricity grid in just a few short years.

“Between now and 2030, we need to ensure that our planning system has the resources it needs to assess a growing number of planning applications for critical renewable energy projects and that our national policies on climate action are reflected in local County Development Plans."

“To deliver a zero-carbon electricity system, the incoming government needs to support our planning authorities and ensure that we have enough and the expertise to be able to assess applications quickly but thoroughly," he added.

Industry did welcome the 16% year-on-year increase in the number of decisions made in 2024.

"The extra resources that government has put into An Bord Pleanála, the NPWS and other planning authorities are very welcome. We are starting to see the effect of that in the number of decisions being made and particularly towards the end of last year," said Cunniffe.

Five of the 10 wind farms approved by ABP last year were granted planning permission in Q4, which Cunniffe was encouraged by.

“An Bord Pleanála’s rate of grants for new wind farms increased significantly during the last quarter of 2024, with five wind farms receiving planning permission," he said.

“An Bord Pleanála deserves credit for the increase in the amount of planning decisions being made, particularly towards the end of last year.

“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.”

(Pic: Getty Images)