Offshore Wind Should Provide Electricity For The Irish People, Not Profit For Private Corporations
Éirígí For A New Republic spokesperson Gary O’Brien has condemned the ongoing giveaway of Ireland’s wind energy resources. His comments came days after the Dublin government gave five private corporations the green light to move forward with their plans for seven large offshore wind farms.
Separately the Irish Wind Energy Association yesterday released a report yesterday (May 28) which claimed that thousands of jobs and billions of euros worth of investment could be lost to the Twenty-Six economy due to the lack of port facilities capable of supporting offshore wind farm construction.
Speaking from Wexford, O’Brien said, “Ten days ago, the Minister for Communication, Climate Change and the Environment, Richard Bruton announced that seven proposed offshore wind farms has been designated as ‘relevant projects’ - effectively giving the private companies behind these proposals a fast-track through the new maritime planning process.
Successive governments made up Fine Gael, Fianna Fail, The Green Party, Labour and independents have left private energy corporations in the driving seat when it comes to exploiting Ireland’s vast offshore wind energy resources. Some of the seven projects that Bruton is now backing were first proposed almost twenty years ago.
Richard Bruton, the latest in a long line of pro-capitalist ministers who have handed Irish natural resources to private corporations.
In all that time, the private sector has delivered only one small offshore wind farm, off the coast of Arklow.
Yesterday’s report by the Wind Energy Association suggests that existing plans for Irish offshore wind farms could generate in excess of forty billion euros of economic activity over the coming decades and up to 2,500 jobs during the construction phase. As things stand private corporations, primarily non-Irish corporations, stand to reap the profits from the development of offshore wind energy.
Éirígí believes that the state, acting on behalf of the Nation, should retain permanent control of Ireland’s vast offshore wind energy resources. State controlled companies should be tasked with the construction of offshore wind farms as part of a wider strategy to achieve a low carbon economy and reduce our dependence on imported fuel.
We believe that Ireland has the potential to become a global leader in every aspect of offshore wind energy, including construction, shipping, installation, maintenance and decommissioning of the wind turbines.
Our extensive coastline and proximity to British and European energy markets give us natural advantages above many other countries. Those advantages should now be exploited for the benefit of the environment and the Irish people, not the benefit of multinational energy companies.
There is a real opportunity here for strategic, long-term, central planning across the engineering, energy, shipping and environmental sectors - planning that could boost Irish engineering and transform existing ports in places like Belfast and Rosslare into hubs for offshore wind farm development.
The electricity produced by these wind farms could then be sold to Irish families on a lot-cost basis to help them make them make the transition to electric cars, heating and cooking.”
Cathaoirleach Éirígí, Brian Leeson, during protest outside the Shell refinery site at Ballinaboy, Co Mayo.
Éirígí For A New Republic has been to the forefront of the fight for Ireland’s natural resources since 2006. In West Mayo we stood with the community to oppose the giveaway of the Corrib Gas Field. And across Ireland we stood with communities to oppose the privatisation of Ireland’s water resources during the anti-Water Tax campaign. Today we are again cutting the path that others will follow in the fight to keep our renewable energy resources in public control.
If you want to play your part in the fight for Ireland’s natural resources, you can join Éirígí here.