A €23m wind farm will have the capability to produce electricity to power 14,000 homes in Kerry.
Tra Investments, a subsidiary of Lee Strand Co-operative, announced today that its €23m wind farm project in north Kerry has become fully operational. The green electricity from the wind farm will be used by Energia to provide power to businesses throughout Ireland.
The 16-turbine 13.3MW wind farm is located on three sites between North Kerry’s Stacks Mountains and Castleisland. The combined energy output from the three sites would have the capability to produce enough electricity to power 14,000 homes in Co Kerry.
Speaking today, Brendan Walsh, chairman, Tra Investments, said: “Today marks a major step forward for Tra Investments and for our stakeholders who have continued to support this project over the past number of years despite many challenges along the way.
“We believe our partnership with Energia will not only deliver a significant and secure long-term return on investment but will also contribute to Ireland’s commitment towards a longer term sustainable energy alternative.”
James Cronin of Energia also commented: “We currently have over 220MW of operational wind farms, and a further 400MW in development. This results in the elimination of over 350,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year from the Irish atmosphere – the equivalent of removing the emissions of over 160,000 1400cc cars from our roads.”
Enercon Ireland supplied the 16 turbines and has signed a 12-year maintenance agreement with Tra Investments. The wind farm provider has signed long-term land lease agreements with landowners across the three wind farm sites. As a result, 13 landowners in the area will benefit from the investment by way of annual lease payments based on the output of the turbines.
Ulster Bank Corporate Banking gave €17m financing towards the wind farm project.
