Sinn Féin TD for Waterford Conor D. McGuinness has raised concerns in the Dáil about the growing number of wind energy developments being proposed around Dungarvan, warning that local communities are being asked to deal with major developments while national planning guidelines remain almost two decades old.

Deputy McGuinness said residents across West Waterford are increasingly concerned about the cumulative impact of multiple wind energy proposals in the surrounding hills and countryside.

“Residents are seeing wind energy applications coming forward one after another, and they are entitled to ask what the overall plan is for the area.

“I raised this directly in the Dáil because this is not simply about one individual planning application. It is about whether communities are being given proper protection and whether there is a coherent national framework for deciding where and how these developments should take place.

“The current Wind Energy Development Guidelines date from 2006. They were written for a very different energy system and a very different scale of wind energy development. The Government has been promising to update them for years, but the 2006 guidelines remain in force.

“Local authorities are therefore being asked to deal with modern wind energy developments using an outdated national framework, while residents are left trying to assess the cumulative impact of proposals in their own communities.

“Dungarvan and the surrounding communities should not have to wait until multiple developments are in the planning system before the Government provides clear national rules.

“We need renewable energy and we need to meet our climate targets, but that must happen alongside proper planning, proper community engagement and respect for the people who live in the areas where these developments are proposed.

“The Government needs to finalise the new guidelines and give communities clarity about what the rules are. People in Dungarvan and surrounding areas deserve to know that there is a coherent plan for renewable energy development, rather than having to deal with proposal after proposal in isolation.”