Huge wind turbines in pipeline for Laois on new windfarm

The planning process has officially begun to build a wind farm with nine huge turbines that will stretch across Laois, Offaly and Kildare.

Bypassing the county council planning application route, Dara Energy Limited has published a notice to the public in the Leinster Express of its intention to make an application to An Coimisiún Pleanála for permission to construct and operate a wind farm and related works in townlands across the three counties.

The townlands covered by the Strategic Infrastructure Development (SID) application stretch from near Rathangan in Co Kildare, Portarlington in Co Laois and Clara in Co Offaly.

The application says the renewable energy development consists a 10-year permission and a 35-year operational life from the wind farm commissioning date.

The project's main element is the construction of nine wind turbines. The turbines' tips will be between 186 metres and 187 metres above ground level. The turbine hubs will be 105 metres and 106 metres above ground. The rotor diameters will be 162 metres.

From base to tip of blade, the structures will be more than three times the size of Liberty Hall in Dublin and more than double the size of the tallest building in the Republic, Capital Dock in Dublin, which stands at 79 metres. MORE BELOW PHOTO.

Capital Dock in Dublin, the tallest building in the 26 counties, will be dwarfed by the proposed turbines.

HQ for the development will be located on the Laois Kildare border with the developers seeking to build the main site entrance on Regional Road R419 which runs between Portlaoise, Portarlington and Rathangan.   

The work will also involve the installation of 11.4 km of permanent high voltage (110kV) cables and communication cabling underground, primarily along public roads between the proposed on-site substation and the Bracklone Substation near Portarlington in Laois and associated ancillary works.

The developers say a permanent planning permission is being sought for the Grid Connection and onsite 110 kV substation as these will become an asset of the national electricity grid managed by EirGrid and will remain in place upon decommissioning of the proposed wind farm.

Site works include the excavation, earthworks, peat and spoil as well as the creation of dedicated peat and spoil deposition areas for the management of peat and spoil within the site.

Dara Energy said an Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) and Natura Impact Statement (NIS) have been prepared as part of the planning application.

They add that a 35-year operational life from the date of full commissioning of the entire wind farm is being sought as this reflects the lifespan of modern-day turbines.

Extensive tree felling will be required. The applicants say six hectares / 60,100 sq m of forestry clearance will be required to facilitate construction and operation.

Public consultation has taken place about the proposed Derrynadaragh Wind Farm will be on a mix of agricultural, peatland and forestry lands.

The applicants say their may also be viewed/downloaded from www.derrynadarraghplanning.ie at County Halls in Kildare, Laois and Offaly and from An Coimisiún Pleanála.

The website says the project will contribute to the transition to a low-carbon, climate resilient and environmentally sustainable economy in line with national policies and objectives such as the Government's ‘Climate Action Plan’ which aims to produce up to 80% of the country’s electricity from renewable energy sources, such as wind, by 2030.

Dara Energy Limited also say the change to renewable energy, in particular wind energy, allows for a move away from burning fossil fuels, to green renewable energy sources. It also claims that wind energy provides further benefits such as cleaner air, financial and energy security into the future.

"Wind energy provides a clean, sustainable, and reliable solution to our energy problems instead of oil and gas.The benefit of green renewable energy into the future for future generations, benefits us all," says the company.

The applicants say that the project is likely to take between 12 to 18 months to be approved with the grid connection taking a year and a further 12 months needed for the project’s construction. They estimate that the project is likely to commence operation in 2028/2029.

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Submissions/observations must be made to the Commission no later than 5:30 pm, November 21.

An Coimisiún Pleanála describes strategic infrastructure developments as a development which is of strategic economic or social importance to Ireland, a region or local areas. 

Since 2007, planning applications for proposed strategic infrastructure development are not submitted to the local planning authority but instead have been to be submitted to An Coimisiún Pleanála, formerly An Bord Pleanála, for a decision. There are no appeals on the commission's decision.

The largest shareholder in Dara Energy is Inis Onshore Wind Limited, which in turn has Temporis Aurora Gp Co. Limited as its biggest shareholder.

In 2018, Temporis announced the creation of the Temporis Aurora Limited Partnership which aimed to develop over 1,000MW of renewable energy generation in Ireland, involving Allied Irish Banks plc (AIB) and Encavis AG, with up to €150m committed.