Seventy-six wind farms which are due to come to the end of their planning permission lifetime will be forced to be dismantled unless planning rules are reformed.

This was according to a new report from Wind Energy Ireland (WEI), which states that up to 76 wind farms with an installed capacity of 854MW will reach the end of their planning permission between now and 2030.

If they cannot extend their planning permission or repower, then they will be decommissioned. This would mean the loss of approximately 20% of the country’s installed wind energy capacity, the report states.

WEI CEO Noel Cunniffe said: “Simply because a wind farm’s planning permission has come to an end does not mean it cannot continue producing power.

"Ireland’s oldest wind farm is 32 years old this year and still producing power. Many of these wind farms which are under threat could operate for five, 10 or even more years.

“We need to make it easier for wind farm owners to extend the duration of their planning permissions and, in the new wind energy guidelines to be published before the end of the year, ensure the same problem does not arise in future,” Noel said.

“There is simply no reason, in the middle of twin climate and energy crises, to decommission operational wind farms because of planning restrictions, unsupported by evidence, imposed decades ago,” he said.

Solutions

WEI has identified a series of recommendations. Firstly, allow operational wind farms to continue operating by making it easier for them to get permission from the planning authorities to extend their planning permission.

Historically, most wind farm planning permissions in Ireland included a condition which restricts their operational life to 20 or 25 years.

To continue generating, the wind farm operator must apply for planning permission for life extension. This can be a costly and time-consuming process, with no guarantee of success.

If an operational wind farm wishes to keep generating beyond its planning permission it should be permitted to do so, the report states.

Additionally, in the new wind energy guidelines proposed for publication later this year, the planning permission lifetime for onshore wind farms should be increased to align with the approach of the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU).

The regulator requires that the operational lifetime for a wind farm’s grid connection should be 50 years, so increasing the lifetime for the wind farm to match this would seem logical, WEI has said.

Repowering

Secondly, Government should put in place policies to support repowering. This is where the original turbines are taken down to be recycled and new, modern turbines are installed in their place.

This means all of the existing grid infrastructure can be reused at a location where the local community is already familiar with the technology.

In Barnesmore, Co Donegal, for example, there is a project with planning permission to repower an existing 15MW wind farm with 25 turbines and replace it with 13 turbines capable of generating 60MW to 70MW - fewer turbines producing more power.

EU law provides that there should be a presumption in favour of granting planning permission to applications for repowering and this should be incorporated into the new planning and development bill 2023.