Wind industry seeks multimillion-euro investment in Budget

The Irish wind industry has warned that the upcoming Budget will be the “last opportunity” to put in place sufficient resources to meet 2030 renewable energy targets.

In a Budget submission, representative body Wind Energy Ireland called on the Government to increase resources for the planning system to accelerate renewable energy projects.

Chief executive Noel Cunniffe said “the reality is that the country’s planning system is still seriously underfunded”.

He said local authorities, An Bord Pleanala, the National Park and Wildlife Service and the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority must agree on the number of staff needed to deliver projects under the Climate Action Plan.

It said a fast-track recruitment process for these bodies should be resourced and a million euro should be allocated to the Irish Environmental Network to support non-governmental organisations working on renewable energy.

The submission calls for a 1.5 million euro increase in the allowance for Skillnet places in sustainable finance, green tech and climate change.

It also calls for an increase of five million euro in the Climate Action Fund for investment in environmental research and protection, along with a million euro for a standalone biodiversity agency.

Mr Cunniffe said: “Budget 2024 is an opportunity to provide adequate funding and financial incentives for key infrastructure like EV charging points, facilitating commercial car fleet electrification, industrial and domestic heat electrification.

“When our renewable energy is flowing we need to have a society that can use the electricity generated. This means having the grid infrastructure in place to distribute the energy to our homes, businesses and transport systems.

“All of these need to rapidly change to electricity as their primary source of power and away from polluting fossil fuels.”

Wind Energy Ireland said there should be a partial income tax credit for EV charging costs and that the 5,000-euro VRT relief for battery-powered vehicles and electric vans should be extended to 2025.

It also wants funding for an EV charging network to increase from 100 million euro to 150 million euro over the next three years.

The group said there should be a grant to encourage the purchase of privately used second-hand EVs, and a reduced rate of VAT on electric bicycles.

The submission seeks an increase in the research and development tax credit for green technologies to 50%.

Wind Energy Ireland said: “We know that consumers and businesses are struggling every day with high energy bills and they need their electricity to be affordable as well as clean.

“We would welcome the opportunity to support the Government in examining ways to reduce the cost of developing renewable electricity and help drive energy bills down. Funding a cross-government group to lead this would be a strong start.”

The representative body is seeking the allocation of four million euro to establish a climate emergency communications unit.

Mr Cunniffe said: “Whether it is increasing our usage of electric vehicles, supporting active travel or installing solar panels, educating businesses and communities about sustainable solutions should be at the forefront of our efforts to inspire people to change.

“That is why we are calling for the establishment of a dedicated National Climate Emergency Communications Unit to ensure people have the information they need.”