EU warning on green energy a “wake-up call”

Europe’s recent warning that the State must take specific steps to speed up planning permission for green energy projects should be “a wake-up call”, says one industry figure.
The European Commission this month warned the State for failing to make new rules streamlining permitting for wind and solar developments part of Irish law.
Paul Gallagher, newly-appointed head of onshore technologies at EDF Renewables Ireland, on Tuesday dubbed the European Union (EU) move a “wake-up call”.
He added that the industry urgently needed “a commitment of resources to address these issues” if the State was to avoid billions of euro in fines for falling short of climate charge targets.
“Unfortunately, Ireland is on a countdown to 2030 where time is not on our side,” said Mr Gallagher.
All EU member states had to make the revised Renewable Energy Directive 2023/2413, which streamlines green energy permitting, part of their own laws by July 1st this year.
The Republic was among many that failed to do so.
EDF Renewables is building wind and solar farms in the Republic and its territorial waters. It owns half the Codling Wind Park development off the Wicklow coast.
Mr Gallagher has just joined the business from ESB-Coillte joint venture, Futurenergy Ireland, where he was portfolio director for renewable energy.
Before that he spent more than five years building wind farms in Australia. He is a civil engineer and UCD graduate with qualifications in project management, geotechnical engineering and finance.
Ryanne Burges, director for offshore and Ireland at EDF Renewables, welcomed his appointment and noted that Mr Gallagher’s experience spoke for itself.
She added that this had been a milestone year for the French group’s Irish business, with its first onshore wind farms entering planning permission along with the Codling project.