An Bord Pleanála approved 10 new windfarms last year but 'more needed' to meet climate targets

While welcoming the new projects, Wind Energy Ireland noted the board also rejected planning from 12 wind farms, with 30 further projects still awaiting decisions

The number of projects approved by An Bord Pleanála in the last three months of 2024 accounted for half of all wind energy projects that received planning permission in 2024 and compared to only a single project in the previous three-month period.

An Bord Pleanála granted planning permission for 10 new wind farms in 2024, resulting in a combined capacity of 717 MW, a new report by Wind Energy Ireland has revealed. 

Publishing the report on Friday ahead of the second day of its Annual Conference in Dublin, Wind Energy Ireland said this is approximately 42% of the volume of wind energy needed to keep Ireland on track for the Government’s targets in the Climate Action Plan.

The organisation estimates that, to achieve the 9,000 MW of onshore wind energy by 2030 target in the Climate Action Plan, An Bord Pleanála would have needed to approve 1,720 MW during this period.

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

“Irish people want clean, affordable and secure energy. That is what wind farms deliver but we will need more of them to provide the power Irish families, businesses and communities’ demand," said Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland.

“Before we can build new wind farms, we need to first get them through the planning system and we are simply not seeing enough new projects to enable us to reach our 2030 targets.” 

However, Mr Cunniffe noted the industry did welcome the increase in the number of decisions made in 2024, which was up by 16% when compared to 2023.

“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.” 

The number of projects approved by An Bord Pleanála in the last three months of 2024 accounted for half of all wind energy projects that received planning permission in 2024 and compared to only a single project in the previous three-month period.

Mr Cunniffe continued: “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.

“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.” 

To achieve the Climate Action Plan’s target of 9,000 MW of onshore wind energy by 2030 An Bord Pleanála would have needed to approve 1,720 MW during 2024 to stay on track, with the CEO warning that Ireland is still falling behind.

“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.”