‘Stop stalling’- Calls to halt new Kilkenny windfarms until legislation updated

Local residents have expressed concern around planning regulations which have not been updated in 20 years

Published 25th Jun 2026, 16:30 BST File photo Local residents have expressed concern around planning regulations which have not been updated in 20 years Sign up to our Kilkenny Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Kilkenny Live within your account.

Sinn Féin TD for Carlow and Kilkenny, Natasha Newsome Drennan, has called for a pause on new wind turbine farms, such as the proposed development at Ballytobin, during a Dáil debate on data centres and renewable energy.

Deputy Newsome Drennan expressed serious concerns over the significant volumes of wind of energy currently going to waste due to ongoing capacity constraints on the national grid, which she noted frequently results in wind farms being turned off.

“They are rushing to build wind turbines across rural Ireland, but so much of that energy is wasted because our national grid is simply not fit for purpose,” she said.

The Sinn Féin TD also criticised the Government for its failure to publish its update to planning regulations for wind turbine farms.

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“The community of Ballytobin has a modest, reasonable ask; no more wind farms until the National Wind Energy Development Guidelines are updated.

“It has been twenty years since they were last revised. We update building regulations consistently to keep people safe and ensure best practices. So why does the safety of rural communities matter less than the safety of our houses?” she queried.

“We’ve seen what happens when regulations are not kept up to date - it’s the people and the state that end up paying the price.”

Deputy Drennan voiced her full support for the proposal by the community of Ballytobin, which calls for a moratorium on the granting of new planning permissions for wind farms until the revised regulations are in place.

She concluded by urging the Minister “to stop stalling and provide updated regulations and guidelines.”

Related topics: Natasha Newsome Drennan Sinn Fein Kilkenny wind turbines Sign up to our Kilkenny Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Kilkenny Live within your account.