The Development Proposal
The developer intends to apply to Kilkenny County Council for planning permission to construct a single wind turbine development and associated infrastructure located in the townland of Ballytobin Co. Kilkenny.
The development will necessitate the provision of a 20 kV substation. The Grid will be the subject to a separate application. They do not form part of this application. The final grid route will be agreed with ESB. A preliminary description of the potential grid options is outlined below.
It is envisaged that the proposed grid connection from the development will be by means of c. 6.2km of 20kV underground cable connecting to the existing 38kV Callan ESB substation located in the townland of Bolton approximately 3.4km North of the proposed development. The majority of the grid option connection will be constructed in public road.
Key Design Considerations
A number of alternative sites, and alternative designs/layouts were considered before the subject site and current layout was chosen. The key objective of our design process was to develop a proposal that will be suitable in the context of the local area whilst delivering the objectives of The Climate Action Plan 2025. In terms of this, how the project will work within the local community is of the utmost importance. A key consideration in this is the distance between houses and turbines and whilst the current wind energy guidelines stipulate a minimum set back distance of 636m, the setback distances on this project have been increased to at least 734m from houses in the local area.
Another key principle in the design process has been to minimise environmental impacts. The site selection process involved avoiding sensitive sites such as Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), Special Protection Areas (SPA) and Natural Heritage Areas (NHA). Additional design considerations included the sensitivity of habitat on site, archaeological constraints, ground stability and landscape sensitivities.
Community Benefit
A key feature of the Government’s Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) is that all successful 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. For the proposed wind turbine development, these benefits include:
- Community Benefit Fund: Establishing a community fund in the first 15 years of operation that will be administered by a management committee including local community representatives. The management committee will have responsibility for managing the fund-support local projects (e.g. heritage, tourism), clubs, schools, education grants, benevolent funds and energy efficiency programmes.
- Supporting development and employment: the proposed wind turbine would represent a significant investment of would directly bring c.10 jobs to the area at construction stage and support a number of long-term jobs at operational stage
- Supporting rural development: the participation by local landowners is a form of rural diversification that can support farm incomes. Local services, suppliers and products will be used where possible.
Environmental Benefits
Displacing fossil fuels and the emissions created is an important benefit of wind energy. Typically, a 4.26MW wind turbine would displace up to 127,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) being produced by fossil fuels over the 35 year life of the wind turbine.
This project can deliver clean, green renewable electricity. It can help lower Ireland’s carbon footprint, reduce green-house gases, improve air quality, and help to fight climate change. It will also help the Irish Government deliver on its 2030 renewable energy and climate targets and improve energy of security supply.
Information
Security of Supply
The Government of Ireland issued the National Energy Security Framework (April 2022) to address Ireland’s energy security needs in the context of the war in Ukraine. Ireland has one of the highest rates of imported energy in Europe with import dependency increasing to 72% in 2020. By producing more renewable electricity locally, some of these imports can be avoided. The energy produced from a 4.26 MW wind turbine would power the equivalent of over 3000 homes with renewable energy. This builds security of energy supply, improves our nation’s energy independence and will help to stabilise and reduce energy costs. Competitive energy prices are also important in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI).
Pre-construction/Construction
It typically takes about 6-9 months to construct a single wind turbine development. The developers will actively work with the local community to ensure that they are kept up to date with developments and that any queries are appropriately dealt with
How will the wind turbines be transported?
It is proposed that the turbine components will be transported by road from a national port. Initial studies suggest that turbines can be transported to site without significant public road upgrades. A Traffic Management Plan will be developed in consultation with statutory consultees and the local community to minimise impacts from deliveries.
Shadow Flicker
Houses in the vicinity will not experience any shadow flicker as the turbine will have control systems to shut down if in the event shadow flicker is predicted to occur.
Noise
This wind farm is being designed to work with the emerging wind energy development guidelines so as to ensure that it will operate appropriately in the local area.
Additional Sources of Information
--> Wind Enery Ireland
--> Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland
What is the next step in developing the project?
Environmental surveys have been completed. These will be used to further develop and refine the site design and assess any environmental effects. The Developer will then apply to Kilkenny County Council for planning permission to construct the single wind turbine development.
ART Generation is committed to being a responsible developer of renewable energy and we strive to be good neighbours in all areas of our work. We encourage as many people as possible to get involved in and to learn more about our projects, maximising the local economic, social and environmental benefits our developments can create locally.
Contact us
If you would like more information on The Development, then please contact the appointed Community Liaison Officer, at the following e-mail address:
E-mail: ballytobin.liaison@gmail.com