Wind Energy Ireland has called on the the Irish government to focus on cutting the price of renewable energy and reducing electricity bills for Irish families and businesses.
The move is in response to a new target of 80% renewable electricity by 2030 confirmed in the country’s Climate Action Plan.
At a webinar in Dublin today the industry body revealed that, despite having some of the best wind energy resources in Europe, the price of wind energy last year in Ireland’s first auction was the highest in the EU.
Recent weeks have been dominated by soaring energy prices arising from global international developments like the rapid rise in gas prices.
At the same time, the Irish government has recommitted to cutting Ireland’s dependence on expensive fossil fuels and instead developing our own, secure, supply of renewable energy.
Wind Energy Ireland is calling for the creation of a high-level cross-government group with a brief to report to the Cabinet within six months with policy recommendations to cut the price of renewable electricity.
Wind Energy Ireland chief executive Noel Cunniffe (pictured) said: “Ireland has some of the best wind energy resources in the world and at some of the highest prices. It does not have to be this way.
“The current spike in electricity prices is driven by factors largely beyond our control because we are so dependent on gas imports.
“The more we produce our own renewable energy, the more protected Irish consumers are from an out-of-control fossil fuel market.
“We can produce electricity from Irish wind farms at half the price we are forced to charge but only with the right policies.
“It will be the choices made by this government which will decide whether Irish consumers are paying the lowest, or the highest, possible prices for renewable electricity.”
Wind Energy Ireland pointed to several policy issues driving up the cost of wind energy.
This include limiting turbine heights, the current transmission system being unable to cope with the volumes of renewable electricity, rates liability for wind farms and contract prices not being index-linked.
Cunniffe continued: “Every additional euro on the price of wholesale electricity works out at hundreds of millions added onto the bills of hardworking families.
“Prices will only fall if projects can provide power at the best possible price. We need Government to work with us to push prices down.
“Delays in the planning system, rising commercial rates and the legacy of decades of under-investment in our electricity grid all push up the price of power in Ireland.
“But there is no reason it has to stay this way when wind energy is available for half the price in other European markets.
“Families and businesses want clean power, and they want cheap power.
“They absolutely can have both but only if the Government works alongside industry to drive prices down as far as possible.”