The Irish Wind Energy Association, the lobby group for wind farm developers, will tell its annual conference today that €500 million is to be spent directly on the construction of Irish wind farms over the next four years.

A survey of association members also concludes that wind farm developers will spend €162 million on “local advisory fees”, while it estimates landowners will be paid €108 million for projects up to 2020.

The IWEA says €2.7 billion will be invested in the provision of 300 megawatts of onshore wind energy annually over the next four years, if Ireland makes its target of producing 40 per cent of electricity from renewable resources by 2020. Brendan Heneghan, the association’s interim chief executive, said wind farm development had helped to prop up the construction sector after building work dried up during the recession.

Data centres

The association has also been promoting the potential opportunity on offer to the State to spur investment in wind farms to go hand-in-hand with the construction of data centres for technology companies. Such centres are often twinned with wind farms to power their servers and bolster the projects’ green credentials.

Critics say wind energy relies on subsidies, which are ultimately paid by consumers. The IWEA rejects that view.