Sinn Féin blames staff shortage for delays in renewable energy planning applications

Planning staff must be tripled, and the State should fund environmental NGOs and the development of green energy according to new Sinn Féin policy document

Sinn Féin climate action spokesperson Darren O’Rourke said under-resourcing of bodies such as An Bord Pleanála, Eirgrid, and the CRU is delaying Ireland's development of renewables. File picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

Ireland’s renewable energy targets will not be met unless the number of staff dealing with planning applications is tripled, Sinn Féin has warned.

The party is also calling on the Government to double State funding to environmental NGOs and to use general taxation to fund the development of green energy, as it wants to see at least 10% of new renewables community- or locally-owned by 2030.

In a policy document due to be published this week, Sinn Féin blames a lack of staffing for the delays in renewable energy planning decisions, which are now around three times longer than the statutory timeframe.

Sinn Féin climate action spokesperson Darren O’Rourke said that the under-resourcing of key State bodies such as An Bord Pleanála, Eirgrid, and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), as well as environmental statutory consultees, is contributing significantly to delays in the planning process.

He said: “I think you can get to 80% renewables by 2030, but not the way we’re going now because there’s slippage and absolutely everything.”

Mr O’Rourke said the climate and marine wing of An Bord Pleanála is “brutally resourced” and called for a tripling of staff within this section.

“There are statutory timelines — 18 weeks for a planning application, 18 weeks or judicial review — they’re all well over 60 weeks now,” he said. “The real thing that people in the sector, whether it’s onshore wind, offshore wind, or solar, they’re saying it’s just the absolute uncertainty that is the issue.”

Along with a significant ramping up of staff to deal with planning decisions, Mr O’Rourke said a €700m investment is needed to develop three ports around the country to allow for the construction of offshore windfarms.

In addition, the party is calling for a decoupling of the energy sector that would see the link between gas and electricity prices on the wholesale market broken.

Pointing to the high prices paid by households compared to other countries in Europe, the policy document calls for a high-level cross-Government taskforce to be established to bring forward recommendations on how to lower the price of producing renewable energy here, to bring Ireland into line with European norms.

The party wants legislation to give the CRU power to regulate standing charges, to ensure that network charges are structured more progressively and in a manner which distributes the cost burden fairly.

In its document, the party states: “Sinn Féin would expand the role of general taxation to fund a more ambitious, democratic and diverse renewable energy system. 

"We would allow for general taxation to supplement the funding that comes from the PSO levy to finance a more ambitious renewables programme.