Anti-wind sentiment hits planning success

As efforts to build more onshore wind farms intensify to meet our 2030 climate action targets, opposition to many of these projects is also growing.

This opposition is leading to changes in County Development Plans, which are increasingly restricting the areas where wind farms can be built.

As a result, the rate of project refusals by An Bord Pleanála has increased significantly due to these “anti-wind” County Development Plans, according to Wind Energy Ireland (WEI).

In a new analysis from WEI, the number of wind farms winning appeals in An Bord Pleanála has dropped sharply in the first half of 2024.

From January to June, An Bord Pleanála granted planning permission for just four wind farms with a combined estimated capacity of 228 MW. WEI state that this is a quarter of the wind energy needed in the first half of 2024 to reach climate targets. WEI estimates that, to achieve the 9,000 MW of onshore wind energy needed by 2030 to meet the Climate Action Plan target, the board would have needed to approve 860 MW since the start of the year.

The board rejected planning applications from eight wind farms with an estimated capacity of 459 MW, while 30 projects totalling 1,766 MW were awaiting decision at the end of Q2.

Anti-wind development plants

Efforts by County Councils to zone land to prevent the development of wind energy are contributing to the increase in the number of projects rejected by An Bord Pleanála, according to the group.

This includes projects where the local authority changed the zoning of the land to prevent a wind farm from being built after it was announced or had applied for planning.

Speaking on the issue, Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, said “There is a conflict between national and EU energy policy, which is to accelerate the delivery of the affordable, clean, secure energy Irish people want, and County Development Plans which, in some places, have clearly been designed to block the development of new wind farms”.

“These anti-wind energy zonings will ultimately push up costs for consumers. It will also reduce the attractiveness of Ireland as a place to do business for international companies and miss out on the economic benefits associated with local projects, including jobs and investment, council rates and community benefits” explained Noel Cunniffe.

Rise of opposition

Opposition to wind farms is not new. With over 30 years of wind energy development in Ireland, many anti-wind groups have emerged in response to proposed projects over the years.

The concerns of residents living near these projects typically centre around visual impact, noise, shadow flicker, impacts on birds, effects on property values, perceived health issues and disturbances during construction.

Although wind developers have made efforts to engage with communities, communicate project plans, establish community benefit funds and compensate residents closest to wind projects, these measures are sometimes insufficient.

With over 200 community and environmental groups opposing wind farm developments across the Republic and Northern Ireland, there is a growing sense of anti-wind sentiment. Members of these groups are often highly passionate and driven, taking appeals and High Court cases against projects.

Politicians may also join in opposition, depending on the level of community resistance.

Momentum continues to grow, and earlier this year, campaigners launched a new website, windaware.ie, aimed at empowering communities, journalists and policymakers to question policy. However, the website was down at the time of writing.

In May, Wind Aware Ireland, along with other groups, organised a march in Dublin to express dissatisfaction with the Government’s wind energy policy.

Contradiction

This sentiment, reflected in the number of projects achieving a successful outcome from An Bord Pleanála, contradicts a survey published by WEI in early 2024.

In their annual national poll on perceptions and attitudes towards wind energy in Ireland, they found that four in five people are in favour of wind energy development, with three in five supporting wind farms in their local area.

The latest figures also show a consistently high level of support for wind energy in Ireland, with favourable responses largely in line with 2022 figures. Furthermore, the figures showed a drop in opposition to wind energy, meaning that now just one in 25 people (4%) oppose wind energy, the group said.

Challenge of community acceptance

Community acceptance is not only essential for securing a social licence to build and operate wind farms, but it is also important for preventing delays in the planning process.

According to WEI’s survey results, only a small proportion of the population oppose wind projects. Campaigners will challenge these figures.

Regardless however, gaining the support of communities and local authorities will continue to be one of the biggest challenges facing the wind industry in meeting our renewable energy goals. Perhaps for the first time, we are seeing this sentiment significantly hit the rate of planning approvals.