Government policy is being influenced by a small percentage of people who are opposed to the expansion of wind farms, it has been claimed.
That’s the claim from the Irish Wind Farmers Association (IWFA) which says Ireland’s ’back sliding’ on its renewable energy targets.
The association holds its annual conference in Kilkenny today, and says wind farms could provide thousands of jobs in rural Ireland.
IWFA chair Grattan Healy believes it is a resource that Ireland should be developing.
"So we have plenty of room, we have a lot of cutaway bogs, we have a lot of open area if you ever drive around Mayo, there is huge open areas up there," Mr Healy said.
"I wouldn’t like to put a number on it because it would depend on the size and the wind strength but we need a lot more than we have today."