Proposed north Mayo wind farm could power 88,000 homes
A NEW wind farm being planned in north Mayo has the potential to power almost 88,000 homes.
SSE Renewables highlighted the benefits of the proposed Glenora Wind Farm to councillors at a meeting of the Ballina Municipal District.
The company also voiced concern about the capacity of the north Connacht grid project to support such developments.
Along with co-development partner FuturEnergy Ireland, SSE Renewables is developing a proposal for Glenora Wind Farm, which will be submitted to planning later this year.
The wind farm site is located to the south of Maumakeogh Mountain, approximately 7km southwest of Ballycastle and 6km southeast of Belderrig.
If successful in the planning process, and constructed as proposed, the project will comprise up to 22 wind turbines.
The operational wind farm could potentially generate up to 132MW, have the potential to power almost 88,000 homes annually while offsetting almost 95 million kgs of carbon emissions.
In addition, the project would deliver a significant Community Benefit Fund, if successful at the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) auction. It is estimated that this fund would be in the region of €700,000 per annum.
One of the key features of the government’s RESS is that all successful project applicants are required to set up a Community Benefit Fund that focuses on sharing the economic benefits of a wind farm with the local community. The scheme also puts the local community at the heart of decision-making. They will decide their own priorities and where they want to see the funding invested.
An extensive consultation process to gather and incorporate the views of the local community on how the fund should be spent and administered will be delivered. In addition, a community fund committee will be established locally to manage the process.
At Wednesday’s meeting, SSE Renewables called on councillors to be more ambitious for the region in relation to climate action.
The company called for the draft county development plan for Co. Mayo to increase its ambition beyond 100MW as outlined, and to ensure that the untapped resource in Mayo is recognised. These actions will ensure that Mayo’s contribution to Ireland’s Climate Action Plan targets are maximised.
In addition, SSE Renewables welcomed the acknowledgement of the importance of grid development and investment in the draft development plan. Additional grid infrastructure will be critical to develop Glenora Wind Farm and for Mayo’s capacity to go beyond 100MW.
The proposed North Connacht project alone, being developed by EirGrid, won’t be sufficient to support the proposed Glenora Wind Farm project, said the company.