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Deputy Mac Lochlainn described the situation as ‘crazy’ given the role wind energy can play in reducing energy costs. “There is a major wind farm just above my hometown in Buncrana. Recently, I drove up the hill and observed that half of the turbines were actually turned off. When I made inquiries as to why that was the case, apparently the electricity infrastructure just is not there to take the power from them. It is absolutely extraordinary. "These wind turbines are there a very long time. I just have to ask: what the hell is going on? Apparently, a significant percentage of the wind turbines that are dotted all across County Donegal do not actually feed into the grid. This is just crazy,” said the Buncrana-based TD. He said there was ‘a direct link between this failure to plan properly in terms of infrastructure and in terms of what people pay’. "People are being crippled here. The Government knows this. Homeowners and small businesses are being absolutely crippled with electricity costs. We know that wind energy plays a critical role in reducing those costs,” he declared. Deputy Mac Lochlainn was speaking as TDs discussed the Electricity (Supply) (Amendment) Bill 2025. The Minister of State at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, Alan Dillon, said the bill would facilitate a €1.5 billion investment in ESB to support the critical development of the electricity grid over the next five years. "This investment will be crucial, as many Deputies said, in modernising, building that resilience and reinforcing our electricity network infrastructure. It will also support the Government's key priorities in infrastructure, housing, competitiveness, investment growth and climate action,” said the minister. Deputy Dillon went on to state: “To date Ireland has invested in the grid at a similar pace to our EU peers, maintaining and upgrading EirGrid as required. Ireland needs to go through a period of change in the use and demand of electricity. Adapting our grid for this increased demand for energy is critical in order to progress our decarbonisation progress.”
