'Ludicrous': Clare TD calls for local authorities to refuse windfarm planning application

An Coimisiún Pleanála and local authorities should refuse planning permission for wind turbines close to air traffic control radar installations, says Clare Fianna Fáil TD Cathal Crowe.

90% of transatlantic air travel operates through Irish controlled airspace with AirNav, handling approximately one million flights per year.

This company is the body responsible for air traffic management of the 451,000km2 of airspace that is controlled by Ireland.

They have expressed serious concerns over how the wind turbines could compromise the safe operation of their radar infrastructure. Deputy Cathal Crowe has called for this warning to be heeded.

The spokesperson on aviation and logistics said, “On the basis of this expert view and in the absence of having their own in-house aviation expertise, An Coimisiún Pleanála and local authorities should immediately prevent the granting of any planning permission that would jeopardise radar efficiency and passenger safety.

“Radar installations such as those at Woodcock Hill near Shannon Airport help air traffic controllers to pinpoint, with incredible accuracy, the location of all sorts of aircraft. In order to safely position aircrafts that are flying through Irish controlled airspace, and also aircraft taking off and landing in Irish airports, air traffic controllers need to have, at all times, a fully accurate set of data relating to the vertical and horizontal positions of the aircraft," he added. 

According to Mr Crowe, the radio signals pinged from radar reflect off the aircraft to give this position but AirNav believe the positioning of large turbines with blades that are constantly rotating would interfere with this signal, thereby distorting the accurate positioning of aircraft on radar screens.

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Deputy Crowe has said that "passenger safety must be the number one priority" as commercial aviation in the country has a "pretty good" safety record which must be protected and upheld.

“The onus on protecting this record largely lies with AirNav and when they speak on air safety, they speak with authority and all other agencies in the country must sit up and listen," he stated. 

As well as this, airlines pay a fee to AirNav when they pass through Irish airspace. Last year, AirNav had a €196.8 million turnover and therefore radar and ground-based avionics are also important infrastructure in terms of generating revenue.

Cathal Crowe said, "It would be ludicrous to position a wind farm in close proximity to these installations and jeopardise all of this.

The TD has called upon An Coimisiún Pleanála and local authorities who are assessing planning permissions relating to these windfarms to ask themselves can they underwrite the safety of passengers.

“If they can’t and if mitigating measures put forward are inadequate, they must listen to the real experts here, AirNav, and outrightly refuse planning.

“Going forward, local authorities should urgently amend their renewable energy zonings so that sufficient safeguarding is given to air navigation and ground-based avionic infrastructure," Mr Crowe concluded.