Ireland’s Climate Action Plan renewable electricity targets may now be ‘unachievable’ according to a new report commissioned by Wind Energy Ireland.

The KPMG-led ‘Act Now - Accelerating onshore renewable energy in Ireland’ is an industry-wide stakeholder consultation to identify the key issues that must be addressed to accelerate the delivery of onshore renewable energy in Ireland.

The report found that planning delays, insufficient grid capacity and a lack of joined-up thinking in policy development is slowing project delivery and putting Ireland’s renewable energy targets in jeopardy.

According to the report, 95% of industry experts believe the above factors will prevent Ireland reaching our target for an 80% renewable electricity power system by 2030.

Wake-up call

Launching the report, Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, said: “This report should be a wake-up call to anyone who wants to cut our carbon emissions and end our dependency on imported fossil fuels.”

“This report highlights the obstacles to achieving these ambitions. Our planning system is overwhelmed, our grid has reached capacity and our policy lacks that joined-up thinking needed to fulfil our potential. These challenges must be addressed, and fast” he said.