Ireland’s Offshore Wind Ambitions Founder in Sea of Red Tape
- Dublin is courting global companies to develop wind farms
- National planning systems remain mired in delays and red tape
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On the morning of October 19, a storm swept across the Irish Sea. Intense rains battered the country with flash flooding, and just over 100 miles south of the Irish east coast, a bolt of lightning struck one of the seven turbines at the Arklow Bank wind farm, setting it ablaze.
Onlookers watched as dark smoke billowed from the towering turbine and bright red flames licked its still-swirling blades. Then it went offline. In one fell swoop, a seventh of Ireland’s offshore wind generation was knocked out of production.