A moratorium on wind farms pending impact reviews would be welcome

The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte, announced last year a moratorium on exploration licences for ‘fracking’ projects in Ireland.

He said that exploration licences would not be given out until the Environmental Protection Agency had published its review of the environmental and health impacts of extracting gas from the ground through hydraulic ‘fracking’.

Strangely, the minister has not introduced a similar moratorium on planning decisions for wind farms. A review of wind-energy guidelines has also commenced and is examining key issues of community concern, such as noise and proximity of wind turbines to family homes.

I hope Mr Rabbitte addressed this anomaly at the Irish Wind Energy Association conference in Dublin.

Hundreds of families, currently under threat from proposed wind farms, are looking for a moratorium on wind-farm planning decisions, to ensure that their homes are adequately protected from any harmful noise and subsequent property devaluation.

Mike de Jong

Strokestown

Co Roscommon