Red tape is deterring investors in renewable energy and seriously threatening Ireland’s ability to meet targets on green power, industry experts warned today.
The Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA) said there was a critical lack of joined up thinking in 60 state agencies controlling different aspects of eco-friendly energy projects.
Chief executive Dr Michael Walsh said there was a significant threat Ireland would not meet its commitment to have 40 per cent of electricity from renewables by 2020.
"It is common for investors to find that consent from one agency has expired by the time approval from another is granted," he said.
The IWEA two-day conference in Dublin heard a study commissioned by the lobby group last year showed 14.7 billion euro will be invested in the wind energy sector up to 2020, creating 10,700 plus jobs.
But the body warned only 230 megawatts of wind was installed last year - enough to power about 80,000 homes and less than one-sixtieth of proposed projects.
It said there is huge investor interest in renewables with almost 15,000 megawatts of projects waiting in a queue for processing but only 7 per cent of proposed schemes have been delivered to date.
"This massive potential will remain unlocked unless we ensure that our approvals processes are compatible with each other and that our market rules are stable and predictable," Dr Walsh said.
"The logjam created by these issues is crippling the sector."
Dr Walsh said investors and wind energy businesses were highly frustrated by a web of unco-ordinated systems across dozens of agencies they have to deal with.
"What really complicates matters for potential investors is not alone the number of stakeholder bodies they have to engage with but that there is really no joined up thinking between all of these agencies in relation to renewable energy matters," Dr Walsh said.
"And that is causing huge frustration and, ultimately, preventing more and more indigenous and international investors from putting their money into the Irish market."
PA