Wind Power News: Ireland
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
Wind farm bid sees farmers’ tempers flare
A group of Erris landowners have reacted angrily to a planning application for a wind-farm in Cordoverry. Just before Christmas, the newly-formed Cordoverry Wind Farm Ltd lodged a planning application with Mayo County Council for a 10-turbine windfarm covering 190 hectares. The proposed wind farm would be situated on part of the lands acquired by Bord na Mona between the 1950s and the 1990s for the purpose of extracting peat to fuel Bellacor-rick station. Known as the Oweninny acquisition, it . . .
Green light for windmills
The countryside south of Clonegal is set to become a major centre of green energy, with the granting of planning permission to local landholder Andy Nolan for three huge windmills. The 85 metre towers are due to be erected in the townland of Ballinastraw next to a six-turbine wind farm that is already in the pipeline. The 6.9 megawatt development submitted by Andy Nolan was given the thumbs-up by the planners at Wexford County Council after no objections were raised . . .
Viridian’s wind-farm assets put up for sale
Irish wind-farm assets belonging to energy firm Viridian have been formally put up for sale by the company’s Bahrain owner, Arcapita. They could fetch as much as €200m. Private equity firm Arcapita, which acquired Northern Ireland-based Viridian in 2006 for $4.2bn (€3.2bn), has hired Royal Bank of Scotland to initiate the sales process. The bank began sending out teaser documentation to potentially interested buyers this week, it’s understood. The wind assets comprise about 104 megawatts in total of projects that . . .
Application for €30m Clare wind farm
Electric Ireland has lodged plans for a large €30 million wind farm at its Moneypoint power station in Co Clare, where the turbines will be more than 30m (100 ft) taller than Dublin’s Spire. The five turbines, at 154m (506ft), will also be more than twice the height of Dublin’s Liberty Hall, but will be lower than the two 228m (750ft) chimney stacks at the 915MW coal-burning station. Moneypoint is the largest electricity-generating station in the Republic, located on the . . .
Huge new towers for Clonegal area
The countryside south of Clonegal is set to become a major centre of green energy, with the granting of planning permission to local landholder Andy Nolan for three huge windmills. The 85 metre towers are due to be erected in the townland of Ballinastraw next to a six-turbine wind farm that is already in the pipeline. The 6.9 megawatt development submitted by Andy Nolan was given the thumbs-up by the planners at Wexford County Council after no objections were raised . . .
Councillor seeks more transparency
Fianna Fáil Cllr. Seamus Ó Domhnaill has called on Donegal County Council to review the planning application process for all large-scale developments. “What I would also be seeking is that the whole procedure be changed so that it becomes much more transparent and user-friendly,” Cllr. Ó Domhnaill said yesterday. At the Glenties Electoral Area meeting on Tuesday, councillors discussed concerns that Glenties-area people had raised, following news last Friday that a proposed wind farm at Straboy, outside Glenties, had received . . .
Wind farm approval questioned
Local residents opposed to a planned wind farm outside of Glenties want to know why several objectors’ submissions were returned on a technicality weeks later. “I think it would have to be looked into,” said Anne Marie O’Donnell, one of a group of people who have long opposed the plans. “They should have let us know before the closing date.” Objectors learned on Friday that planning approval had been given for construction of 22 wind turbines at Straboy, about 1.5 . . .
Objectors want Glenties windfarm planning process re-opened
There was a large turnout at the Highlands Hotel in Glenties last night for a meeting to discuss a controversial new windfarm scheduled to be built in Straboy, Glenties. There is anger after a decision to grant permission for the 20 turbine development was made despite a large number of submissions from people opposed to the project. The submission were rejected late in the process because of a technicality relating to payment. Local’s are objecting on a number of grounds . . .
Plans for €200m windfarm ‘threaten’ railway’s future
The managing director of the West Clare Railway has claimed a planned €200 million windfarm — with pylons topping 400ft — places the railway’s future development in considerable doubt. West Coastal Wind Power Ltd envisages erecting up to 45 of the 415ft-high units. The project has divided opinion in the West Clare coastal community of Doonbeg where 79 landowners are due to share an unspecified windfall from land leases. The West Clare Railway operates in the same parish of Shragh, . . .
Council backs idea of €500m renewable energy reservoir
A €500 million renewable energy storage reservoir proposed for north Co Mayo could export 10 terawatt hours of “clean power” to Britain, according to its backers, providing the equivalent of 2 per cent of Britain’s electricity requirement by 2016, when the project is targeted for completion. Mayo County Council has expressed support in principle for the concept, developed by Organic Power Ltd of Skibbereen, Co Cork, to store surplus wind and wave energy generated as part of the county’s renewable . . .
