Greencoat Renewables — the power-generating firm whose shares are listed in Dublin and London — has paid up to €281m to buy out most of the stakes held by Coillte in four wind farms, as the firm expands in Ireland by spending some of the proceeds it raised from the market.

Cork County Council is to ask the Government to urgently implement promised guidelines for windfarm developments because under current legislation it cannot carry out noise monitoring unless all turbines in a project are fully completed.