A senator from Kerry has urged the government to announce a timeline for publishing and implementing national planning guidelines for solar farms.
Speaking in Seanad Éireann on Thursday, October 16th, Fine Gael's Mike Kennelly emphasised that the state has a responsibility to ensure Ireland has robust, transparent, and timely planning processes for all forms of renewable energy technologies.
He asked the minister of state with special responsibility for nature, Christopher O'Sullivan, when the solar farm guidelines, promised in the Programme for Government, would be published and implemented.
Senator Kennelly stressed that such guidelines are no longer optional, urging that lessons must be learned from the development of wind energy.
He added that these guidelines would streamline decision-making, bolster community confidence, ensure fair and balanced distribution of projects, and support grid-connection planning:
Junior minister O'Sullivan agreed that the guidelines are needed urgently, but that rural areas can do more:
