Image: © Brian Jackson/Stock.adobe.com
As EDF Renewables plans a new windfarm, SSE Renewables says the Irish Government ‘shouldn’t settle’ when it comes to wind energy targets.
EDF Renewables, a French renewable energy company, plans to develop an approximately 50MW onshore windfarm in Co Clare.
The Lackareagh windfarm would be situated to the east of Broadford village in the townlands of Killeagy and Shannaknock and could power more than 35,000 homes.
The project team is currently gathering wind data and mapping environmental constraints at the site to help create a preliminary wind turbine layout, with more detailed studies in the pipeline such as ecology, noise, landscape and visual assessments.
The results of the studies, together with consultation with local communities, will be used to determine the final layout and number of turbines ahead of a planning application and environmental impact assessment report to Clare County Council in early 2023.
Subject to approval, the windfarm is expected to be operational by 2026. EDF Renewables said the project would involve a community benefit fund that aims to help local initiatives and activities.
Kevin Daly, head of development at EDF Renewables Ireland, said that projects such as the Lackareagh onshore windfarm are “more important than ever” because of the climate crisis and Ireland’s target to deliver 80pc of its electricity from renewable sources by the end of this decade.
Government ‘shouldn’t settle’
News of this wind energy project comes as another leading renewable energy company in the Irish market, SSE Renewables, has called on the Government to increase its 2030 wind energy ambitions.
SSE Renewables director of development Maria Ryan has told the Government that it “shouldn’t settle for 5GW by the end of the decade” in targets for offshore wind energy.
Speaking at the Irish Renewable Energy Summit in Dublin today (16 February), she said offshore wind “will be key to addressing the climate crisis while also protecting Ireland from the ongoing geopolitical threats” to energy security in Europe.
“We should see this target as the absolute minimum requirement needed to tackle climate change and secure Ireland’s indigenous energy requirements,” she added.
Elsewhere, infrastructure company Greencoat Renewables has acquired the 37MW Tullahennel windfarm in Co Kerry, raising its total installed capacity to 837MW.
“We are encouraged by the range of attractive opportunities that exist, both in Ireland and the wider European market, and are focused on building the premier European renewable energy portfolio which offers strong secure long-term income for shareholders,” said Greencoat investment manager Paul O’Donnell.
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