[Top Michal Noonan and Brendan Halligan and, above, Senator John Kelly]
Labour Senator John Kelly yesterday called for the resignation of Brendan Halligan, chairman of of SEAI [the Sustainbable Energy Authority of Ireland], describing the government’s wind energy project as a crony-strewn hot mess.
Pylon!
“I have to say now and put on record that the wind energy project is now an almighty mess. It’s a mess that could have been solved in 2012 with the introduction of my wind turbines bill.
People were quite prepared to accept wind turbines if the setback distances were fair to them. And my bill is now in line with the Cloghan judgement of An Bord Pleanála. As a result of this not happening two years on, there is going to be a mass protest on the streets of Dublin on the 5th of March where the people will have their say then.
The pylons issue is the same thing, it was not dealt with; and now they have an almighty mess there. We have a situation in your own county Chairman, where… where people won’t even accept undergrounding.
And now there is various reports questioning the feasibility of the… the pylon project. The most recent one, consultants BW energy, commissioned by Rethink Pylons said, are warning, the case of exporting power to Britain is non-existent. Grid extension will not work in Ireland as prices will be too expensive, and the doubling of Ireland’s wind power output – which EirGird says is needed – could destabilise the entire network and even result in power blackouts.
…It has to be said that right across the board there is evidence for all sorts of conflicts of interests. The former chair of An Bord Pleanála going as the chair of EirGrid, former chair of EirGrid is now a director of Element Power… There have been reports commissioned by Siemens which try to further enhance these wind energy projects when Siemens in actual fact manufacture the wind turbines. So it’s wildly believed that SEAI are driving the wind energy element of green energy and not enough effort has gone into all other forms of green energy. And why? Because of the conflict of interest. So like Senator{John] Whelan [Who had spoken earlier], I’m calling Mr Brendan Halligan’s position as totally untenable and he should resign, he should go and he should go now. And I do have a question for the leader. Will someone define conflict of interest of us please, and explain it to us?
Anyone?
Also: FIGHT!
Previously: Cost benefit Analysis
