Over 200 pressure groups join to resist Coalition’s pylon and wind agenda

Activists form alliance in opposition to ‘flawed energy policy’

Campaign alliance expresses “outrage at frightening scale of what was being foisted on the Irish people and landscape”. Photograph: Cyril Byrne
Campaign alliance expresses “outrage at frightening scale of what was being foisted on the Irish people and landscape”. Photograph: Cyril Byrne

More than 200 groups campaigning against plans for new power lines and wind farms have formed an alliance to oppose the Government’s “flawed energy policy”.

Activists from Mayo, Roscommon, Longford, Westmeath, Laois, Offaly, Kildare, Wexford and Waterford met on Wednesday night and “expressed their outrage at the frightening scale of what was being foisted on the Irish people and landscape”.

The groups represented at the meeting included those campaigning against “industrial wind turbines” planned for the midlands as well as EirGrid’s plans for new power lines, which they say are designed to connect wind farms producing electricity for domestic use and for export.

In a potentially significant development, a spokesman for the newly formed alliance – which is still without a name – said it intended to “mount a joined up and vigorous campaign to stop this destructive and fatally flawed plan”.

Frank McDonald

Frank McDonald

Frank McDonald, a contributor to The Irish Times, is the newspaper's former environment editor