The fourth webinar in the Green Tech Skillnet and Skillnet Offshore Wind Academy series that explores different aspects of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process applied to the consenting of Irish renewable energy projects.
This webinar will cover two areas to enhance registrant understanding of both the forthcoming changes to EIA legislation in Ireland and to explore relevant case law. The webinar will be presented by Josh Fothergill (Founder & Director at FothergillTC) and Brendan Slattery (Partner at the legal firm McCann FitzGerald).
The webinar will cover:
- A refresher on REDIII’s EIA related requirements, notably mandatory scoping from the 1st May
- Consider future EIA legislative change from implementation of the 2024 Planning & Development Act to proposals for an EU Regulation on ‘Speeding up environmental assessment’
- Exploring key risks that need to be managed to help reduce the chance of an EIA related JR in renewable energy project consenting
- Discussion of a selection of EIA relevant case law and the implications of this for practice
- Live Q&A on your EIA Questions
Those attending will improve their understanding of:
- Current and future developments in EIA legislation
- Key EIA related case law and its implications for practice
As with the rest of the series the webinar will open with a brief explanation of Green Tech Skillnet and Skillnet Offshore Wind Academy interest in improving EIA effectiveness by addressing skills gaps for the Irish renewable sector. (Max 5mins).
The webinar’s main content will be delivered by Josh Fothergill (Founder of Fothergill Training & Consulting Ltd) and Brendan Slattery (Partner – McCann FitzGerald). The presentation will begin with Josh providing a brief refresher on the EIA changes arising from the August 2024 REDIII regulations, the mandatory scoping opinion element from which comes into force just over a week after the webinar takes place. Josh will go on to explore forthcoming legislative change in relation to the EIA elements of both the 2024 Planning and Development Act and the EC’s proposed Regulation on ‘Speeding up environmental assessments.
The webinar will hand over to Brendan and the focus will pivot to the legal aspects of EIA and a number of EIA legal cases. Brendan will cover a selection of EIA case law with relevance to practice in the renewables sector, and also highlight key areas of the assessment process where effective process management can help reduce the risk of a successful challenge.
The presentation element of the webinar is anticipated to be 45mins and will be followed by a live Q&A with the audience (~15mins). Questions will be submitted via the live chat function and asked by the GTS-SOWA webinar Chair.
Those interested in how environmental issues are considered in relation to renewable energy projects whether they are already working in the sector / involved in EIA, or interested in starting / rejoining a career linked to the environment and Ireland’s renewable energy goals.
Live Webinar with Q&A, part of Green Tech Skillnet and Skillnet Offshore Wind Academy’s continuing effort to enable greater cross-cutting conversations about EIA and improving the supply of skilled professionals to this and related roles in the sector.
This webinar is the final part of the initial GTS & SOWA series of EIA webinars, with the earlier recordings available from the GTS website:
- Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
- Establishing Proportionate EIA – Scoping and Significance
- Unpacking the Cumulative Effects Challenge in EIA
We plan to return with a further series of EIA related webinars in the future.
Registrants may also be interested in the slide decks from the recent EIA & Renewable Energy Conference (5th March, Athlone) which can be accessed and downloaded via this link: EIA Conf 2026
Josh Fothergill
Founder & Director – Fothergill Training & Consulting Ltd
Josh is a leading expert in EIA, and Chaired Ireland’s EIA Conference in both 2025 and 2026.
Highlights from his EIA career include creating the UK’s EIA Quality Mark in 2011, authoring the Proportionate EIA Strategy (2017), leading a series of international reviews of: Digital IA (2021); EIA professional recognition (2019); connecting EIA and the circular economy (2021).
Josh founded Fothergill Training & Consulting in 2017, where he specializes in enhancing the effectiveness of environmental assessment through capacity building, intelligent client roles and advisory reviews in Ireland and the UK.
He has trained over 1500 professionals in EIA across consultancies, consenting authorities, statutory environmental bodies and developers, including successful series with: FuturEnergy Ireland and SSE Renewables.
Brendan Slattery
Partner – McCann FitzGerald LLP
Brendan is recognised as an expert in both planning and environmental law at national and EU level, having advised regulatory authorities, statutory bodies, local authorities and developers on the delivery of a wide range of local and national projects.
He has almost twenty years’ experience in the areas of environment, planning and climate change. In recent years, Brendan has advised on almost every significant infrastructure project across Ireland spanning the areas of energy, transport, water, wastewater and the agri-business sector.
Brendan is passionate about capacity building and lectures significantly in planning law on each of the Professional Practice Course in Conveyancing, the Diploma in Commercial Conveyancing and the Diploma in Planning and Environmental Law. He also lectures in planning and environmental law on the Diploma in Physical Planning, the Diploma in Environmental Engineering, the MSc in Environmental Science and the MSc in Biodiversity and Conservation.
