The biodiversity disaster in Derrybrien, Co. Galway exemplifies what can go horribly wrong when wind developers and government neglect best practice, fail to ensure robust environmental assessment and disregard European environmental law.

In 2003, during the construction of the 70-turbine Derrybrien wind park, a landslide occurred causing over 450,000 cubic metres of peat to slide into the Owendalulleegh River, resulting in the death of 50,000 fish. The European Court of Justice subsequently ruled in 2008 that an Environmental Impact Assessment should have been conducted before the development was given permission to proceed. The ESB permanently ceased operations at Derrybrien in March 2022 and intends to fully decommission the site. In total, the State was fined over €20 million for failing to comply with EU legislation which resulted in this environmental disaster, with such serious consequences for the local community.