Objections against wind and solar farms to be more difficult under new Climate Plan

The Government's Climate Action Plan 2025 has detailed an extensive list of ambitious projects to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by a massive 51% by 2030 and reach climate neutrality by 2050, including what will inevitably result in limiting the ability to object to solar and wind farm projects. 

The plan was prepared during the transition period before the new Government took office and sets out what the country intends to do this year to reach its climate goals. It states early on in the lengthy 166 page document that Ireland has long been "labelled as a climate laggard" and that it's recent progress has proved otherwise.

Despite areas in need of serious improvement such as transport, renewable energy has been making considerable advancements in Ireland. As the report indicates, wind farms generated almost 40% of Ireland's total electricity demand in the first half of 2024. This makes Ireland third in the world for installed wind power capacity per capita.

In terms of solar energy, the report also states: "Solar energy is also expanding rapidly with over 100,000 rooftop microgenerators – that’s ordinary households and farms – now connected to Ireland’s electricity network."

However, there continues to be a strong pushback against the development of new wind and solar farms across the country. Local authorities continuously receive objections to such developments in rural areas, which tend to slow down the rate of their construction. 

Now, under the new Climate Action Plan, "regional renewable electricity capacity allocations" will be introduced. Essentially, this means each region will have new quotas for wind and solar farms. The country is divided into three regions: Eastern and Midlands, Northern and Western, and Southern. 

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These new quotas will make it more difficult for those objecting such projects to argue their case to their local authority as they will need to approve more of these types of developments. 

In addition to this, wind farms nearing the end of their life as per their planning permission will be extended. The plan states: "Extending the life of and/or repowering existing renewable electricity projects offers an efficient use of established infrastructure and minimises the risk to the security of electricity supply at a time when increasing numbers of existing windfarms are reaching the end of their life.

"For onshore wind capacity, lifetime extensions and repowering at existing sites will be critical to ensuring that the 80% renewable electricity target is reached."

This focus on renewable energy is argued as being "at the core of Ireland’s plan to radically reduce emissions in the electricity sector, protect our energy security, and ensure our economic competitiveness."

Commenting on the launch of the Climate Plan, Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy Darragh O’Brien TD said: "It’s 10 years since we signed the original Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act into law in 2015.

"Climate action has to be seen in that context; years of ambition and hard work have led us to a point where we are finally starting to see meaningful reductions in emissions in Ireland."