An Bord Pleanála to consent to order quashing its approval for €70m Kildare wind farm

 An Bord Pleanála has indicated it will consent to an order quashing its permission for a €70 million wind farm in Co Kildare, the High Court has heard. Local resident Lorraine Quinn and environmental NGO Eco Advocacy CLG brought a judicial review challenge against the board’s approval in September 2020 for the 12-turbine development at Drehid, near Carbury. The court heard on Monday that the board would no longer be contesting the action. Barrister John Kenny said there remained a conflict between his client, developer North Kildare Wind Farm Group, and the applicants as to whether the planning application should be remitted to the planning board. The developer, a notice party in the proceedings, hopes to see its planning application remitted for fresh consideration and wants a short hearing for determination of this issue, Mr Kenny added. He asked the judge to refrain from making an order of certiorari while this question remained.

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Windfarm rejected for Arroo mountains

A proposed windfarm in a designated "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty" on the Arroo mountain range in north Leitrim has been blocked by An Bord Pleanála.

The Arroo mountains, which feature blanket bog, heathland, wooded ravines and steep limestone cliffs, are a breeding ground for peregrine falcons and golden plover.

The board found that the development, comprising of 12 turbines measuring 80m in height and with rotor blades measuring 45m in length, would be a prominent and obtrusive feature in the landscape, would be "highly visible" locally and would spoil the view.

Leckanarainey Windfarm Limited, Old Schoolhouse, Lower Rosses, Rosses Point, Co Sligo, had appealed against a decision made by Leitrim County Council last November to refuse permission for the windfarm.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Wind energy conference concerns

IRELAND must plan for a "multiple" of its current wind energy capacity on the national electricity grid if it is to continue to thrive as an economy. That was the message from Eamon Ryan Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources atMeitheal na Gaoithe's recent annual conference.

The Minister was one of many important guest speakers at the Irish Wind Farmers Cooperative Society conference in the Anner Hotel, Thurles. It attracted a high level of interest as speakers and presentations addressed critical issues facing renewable energy generators, grid access and the future of energy in Ireland.

The meeting also discussed Renewable Energy Feed in Tariff (REFIT) and single electricity market (SME).

"After a decade of talking about renewable energy its time to walk the walk", said Tommy Cooke, Chairman Meitheal na Gaoithe (MnaG) before the conference. "There is an unprecedented interest in renewable energy, as concerns about fossil fuel prices and the environmental impact of global warming has raised renewable energy to the top of the public agenda."

On the day, Minster Ryan stated that he has a vision for Ireland becoming a net exporter of energy in the future. These views were shared by Dr Josef Pesch, an international expert in the wind energy field. Dr Pesch said that Ireland needs a clear cut grid connections strategy that allows wind power and other renewable forms of power to connect to the grid in a quick and efficient manner. MnaG members heard the Minister give strong expressions of his support for the development of the industry. However, members expressed concerns about wind farmers who are frustrated with the long delays of up to eight years to build grid connections and the poor price for renewables which do not reflect current project costs.

Mr Cooke said: "Small scale and local developers are now under severe pressure due to the lack of performance on grid connection and Renewable Energy Feed in Tariff (REFIT) price issues. It is now taking longer to build wires than roads and this is a totally unacceptable situation. Most people are astonished at the grid connection situation as it is so expensive and goes beyond the wind farm planning permit expiry dates, thus adding more risk and cost."

Guest speaker Michael Tutty, a member of the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), demonstrated the CER commitment to the government renewable targets. Speakers from ESB Networks outlined the enormous tasks they face due to the build up of applications for grid connection.

MnaG has noted that onshore wind energy is the most economical and the fastest growing renewable technology in Ireland and can potentially meet a substantial amount of our electricity needs. However to accommodate this, Ireland needs a progressive grid connection policy and a viable market price for renewable electricity.

Ireland is now 90% dependent on imported fossil fuels, and the cost of oil to industry has seen a 45% increase in the period between 2000 and 2007
Linda Pearson

Tipperary Voice

www.buckplanning.ie

Green light for Slieve Divena wind farm

RES UK & Ireland Ltd has received full planning permission to build a new 12 turbine wind farm at Slieve Divena, near Garvaghy, Co. Tyrone.

Eimear Lenehan, Project Manager for RES UK & Ireland, said - "Wind energy makes sense for Northern Ireland, as we are still over 95% dependent on polluting and insecure imported fuels like oil and gas. Slieve Divena Wind Farm will generate electricity equivalent to the annual needs of nearly 17,000 homes annually, providing a local source of energy and helping to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas."

The wind farm will be located to the east of Garvaghy, 7km north-west of Ballygawley and 6km south-east of Beragh and Sixmilecross. Planning permission was granted for 12 turbines, site tracks, a substation and meteorological mast.

The project will be built by Renewable Energy Systems Construction Ltd., using local company - WH Alexander Construction Ltd of Omagh - to undertake all the civil works.

The planning application, accompanied by a full environmental statement, was made in 2005, following a six-month long information programme for the local community and their representatives - involving door-to-door visits, letters and public exhibitions.

Eimear continued - "The Slieve Divena project has been well received by the local community and we would like to thank them for their continued support."

RES UK & Ireland Ltd is a member of the Renewable Energy Systems Group (RES Group), which is one of the world's leading wind farm companies, involved in the development, construction and operation of wind farms across the UK and Ireland, Europe, North America and Australia. It is part of the Sir Robert McAlpine group of companies.

RES Group has developed six of the existing wind farms in Northern Ireland (Rigged Hill, Corkey, Elliott's Hill, Lendrum's Bridge, Altahullion and Callagheen) and the single turbine Slievenahanaghan. A further four RES-developed Northern Ireland projects have been granted planning permission and are in the process of being constructed/awaiting construction (Lough Hill, Altahullion Extension, Wolf Bog, Slieve Divena).

The planning application for Slieve Divena was submitted under Wind Farm Developments Ltd - a joint venture between RES Ltd and B9 Energy Services Ltd. RES Group has fully-owned Wind Farm Developments since May 2006. Wind Farm Developments Ltd's business has been conducted by RES UK & Ireland Ltd since February 2007.

Council urged not build biofuel plants in urban areas

CORK County Council planning officials have been urged not to force biofuel industries to locate in urban areas or ports.
Councillor Alan Coleman (FF), who is a member of an EU renewable energy forum, criticised council planners for advising potential ‘green’ industrialists to locate in such areas, depriving rural communities with much-needed employment.
He said he had become aware of an industrialist who had been told by council officials not to locate further west than Bandon. In addition, he said that a company, which had recently had its plans for a plant near Kildorrery turned down by Bord Pleanála, had been told to look towards the port for another venture.
“We’re always hearing that the IDA is moving away from rural areas. Biofuel plants are agricultural-based, so they should be in rural areas. We should be encouraging people to base in rural areas,” Mr Coleman said.
Councillor Tom Sheahan (FG) said that biofuel plants in the US, especially those manufacturing ethanol, were located in rural communities and US companies had expressed interest in setting up similar plants here, again in rural areas. With the advent of global warming he said it was imperative that biofuel production was speeded up.
“These plants should be located close to where the product is grown. I’d be extremely worried if such plants end up in port areas. We should carry out a review of the existing County Development Plan and identify strategic areas of interest, like we did with windfarms. We should do a survey on where crops are and where they could be grown,” FG’s councillor Pat Buckley said.
Councillor Kevin O’Keeffe (FF) agreed, citing that the days of multinational companies locating in West and North Cork were long gone. He pointed out that Bord Pleanála refused permission for the Kildorrery plant, saying that such facilities should be located near a port — and this was not the way to go.
“If we move all these biofuel plants into Cork port we will strip the county again. It will add traffic to the city, beet lorries would congest the whole place,” Councillor Tomas Ryan (FG) said.
County manager Martin Riordan said he would look at the whole situation and bring a discussion paper forward to council’s planning policy committee.
Sean O’Riordan
© Cork Examiner

Government may be tilting at windmills with ambitious energy plan

If you drive east out of Los Angeles towards Palm Springs, you cross a vast desert. It is arid. It is monotonous.
But the monotony does not come as much from the dusty wastes as from the thousands of windmills that fill the landscape for mile after mile.
By 2020, if the Government’s blueprint on energy achieves its targets, Ireland will have more windmills than Don Quixote could hope to tilt at in a lifetime.
Yesterday’s White Paper on the energy policy framework confirmed that the Government wants 33% of our energy needs to be supplied by renewable forms by 2020. Communications Minister Noel Dempsey accepted it would be a big ask. “Everybody agrees that they are ambitious,” he said, before stressing he thought they were achievable.
How big an ask it is is borne out by the figures. Renewables comprised only 5% of the market in 2005 and so this source will need to be multiplied six-fold over the next 13 years.
But when you look for detail as to how that will be achieved, there are not enough specifics to indicate whether it will be achievable or not.
Yes, €150 million has been allotted in the National Development Plan to develop alternative energy sources and Mr Dempsey said that he has got signals from his Cabinet colleagues that “if more is needed, it will be made
available”. The White Paper states that “wind energy will provide the pivotal contribution to achieving this target”.
Lots of windmills then. There is also a commitment to develop ocean energy technologies, as well as biomass technologies.
But as Eamon Ryan of the Green Party pointed out, there are lots of plans that will be finalised over the next year, but not enough in terms of concrete proposals.
This is partly explained by the fact that Mr Dempsey’s energy policy framework is one piece of a larger jigsaw. One of the key factors will be reduction in dependence on fossil fuels and better conservation. To that end, we will not have a grasp of the full energy/climate change/reduction in carbon emissions picture until the publication of Environment Minister Dick Roche’s climate change strategy (due out at Easter); and the separate policy papers on transport (Minister Martin Cullen) and agriculture (Minister Mary Coughlan).
Parties have muscled up on their energy policies and Mr Dempsey’s claim that the white paper is comprehensive, coherent and detailed is generally correct. Elsewhere there are over 200 separate actions set out to ensure security of supply, better conservation and sustainability.
Very ambitious, certainly. But until we see all the details spelling out how it can be done, it will remain a target more utopian than real.
Harry McGee
© Irish Examiner

Clare County Council approves its seventh wind farm

Clare County Council has approved the seventh wind farm in the county despite some local opposition.
This follows German company Pro Ventum securing planning permission for a €10 million six-turbine wind farm at Tullabrack near Kilrush.
It is the second wind farm that the company has secured permission for in the west Clare area and the previous proposal also faced opposition.
Currently there are two wind farms operational in the county - the Pro Ventum wind farm at Monmore and the second 11-turbine wind farm near Connolly in mid-Clare.
The Pro Ventum application was first lodged four years ago and the application was only reactivated recently when the company lodged further information.
The Monmore Action Group opposed the plan.
However, the council granted planning permission having regard to the national policy in relation to the development of sustainable energy resources and the provision of wind energy guidelines.
The council also granted planning because of the general suitability of the site for a wind-powered energy generating facility, the wind energy resources available and the nature of the landscape in the area, including a nearby wind farm and a suitable ESB sub-station.
The council also ruled that the proposed development would not seriously injure the visual amenities or landscape, interfere with views or injure the amenities of residential properties in the vicinity, or be prejudicial to public health.The council has prohibited wind farms in large tracts of Clare.
© The Irish Times

Wind farm claims are a lot of hot air

From Irish Indo:

MOST wind farms are failing to produce as much electricity as predicted, according to a new independent study.
The damning report just published has been seized on by anti-wind farm groups claiming that giant farms are a waste of time and money and destroying scenic views.
They are now planning to contest key constituencies affected by dozens of giant turbines higher than the Spire of Dublin in the looming general election.
The British report, by the Renewable Energy Foundation, says many parts of the countryside are simply not windy enough to allow turbines to work efficiently.
The Renewable Energy Foundation is a charity set up to compare the efficiency of alternative energy technologies.
Its new report is being taken seriously because the foundation is recognised as an independent scientific body with no axe to grind. It based its study on more than 500 turbines currently in operation.
It found that wind farms in Wales are running at just 23.8 capacity and in Cornwall at 24.1pc. Other areas showed similar performances. The only area which hit the target was Southern Scotland.