The Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources, Mr Pat Rabbitte, has launched the construction of a 40 megawatt wind farm by Bord na Móna at Bruckhana, Co. Tipperary.

Speaking at the launch the Minister said: "Ireland has a challenging EU renewable energy target to meet by 2020, which includes meeting 40% of electricity demand from renewable sources. We are making progress towards this target however, and development of renewable generation of the scale we will see at Bruckhana is crucial for maintaining the rate of build necessary to achieve our EU target.

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"Ireland is fortunate to have some of the best renewable energy resources in Europe. Not only will the exploitation of this clean, sustainable, indigenous resource allow us to break our dependence on expensive imported fossil fuels and reduce our harmful emissions, it also holds the potential for Ireland to become an exporter of renewable energy, with its attendant economic benefits for the country."

While highlighting the benefits that renewable energy, for both domestic consumption and export, can bring to Ireland, the Minister also stressed the critical importance of placing the concerns of local communities at the heart of the move to renewable energy.

Speaking of the central role for project developers in achieving public acceptance of wind energy developments by addressing and mitigating human, environmental and landscape impacts and delivering the best possible engineering solutions, he called on developers to communicate fully, and accurately, the local and national socio-economic benefits flowing from investment in their projects, and to examine how best to deliver community gain.

(CD)