SSE Airtricity community funds invest €0.5m into West Limerick in just 6 years

SSE Airtricity is presenting over €130,000 in community funding to 23 community groups in the vicinity of its Tournafulla, Rathcahill and Dromada wind farms. The presentation brings the total SSE Airtricity community investment in West Limerick since 2008 to over half a million Euro.

Under its Community Fund Programme, SSE Airtricity annually makes a financial contribution from each of its 25 wind farms owned and operated nationwide by SSE, the country’s largest renewable energy generator.

The groups being supported by SSE Airtricity’s 2013 Community Fund include among others Athea Parish Church, Abbeyfeale United, Knockanure Community Centre and Templeglantine Muintir na Tire. The presentation to each of the 23 groups receiving SSE Airtricity funding is being made tonight (Tuesday 21 January) at the Con Colbert Hall, Athea, Co. Limerick.

The €130,000 Community Fund presentation is one of the largest annual payments made by SSE Airtricity to communities around its wind farms nationwide. It brings the total funding made by SSE Airtricity through its community funds in County Limerick to over €500,000 since 2008, when the company commissioned its Tournafulla Wind Farm.

Anne Reynolds, SSE Airtricity Community Development Officer, comments: 

“We’re delighted at SSE Airtricity to be presenting more than €130,000 in funding from our County Limerick Wind Farm Community Funds. Since 2008, the SSE Airtricity Community Fund has handed out over half a million Euro from our Tournafulla, Rathcahill and Dromada wind farms to a wide variety of forward-thinking and innovative local projects across West Limerick.

“This annual local investment will continue to grow and we’re proud to be making a difference for communities in the regions in which we build and operate our wind farms. By helping communities to make major strides to reduce their fuel consumption, their energy costs and their carbon footprint year-on-year we can all live in greener and more sustainable communities.”

Margaret Watters, Principal Athea National School said:

“The school has benefitted greatly from SSE Airtricity’s support both this year and last year. The funding award of €10,000 we have received this year will go towards completing the retrofit of our classrooms, including the insulation of both attic and walls, really helping us to continue to drive down the school’s heating bills.”

Joe Fitzgerald, Templeglantine National School Parents Council said:

“Everyone involved with the Templeglantine National School Parents Council is delighted with the funding we’ve received through the SSE Airtricity Community Fund. The financial support will allow us to upgrade the school’s external walls by installing new insulation, meaning a much more efficient and sustainable school for all our pupils and teachers..”

Mike Sheahan, Brothers of Charity Services Ltd said:

“SSE Airtricity’s Community Funding will be put to great use and make big improvements to our community building.. The funding is being used to install a new rainwater harvesting system and through this installation, we aim to reduce our water usage and water bills and most importantly, free up funding for other services in our community.”

The green energy generated at SSE’s Tournafulla, Rathcahill and Dromada wind farms powers over 33,000 homes for customers of Airtricity, Ireland’s greenest home energy provider. SSE, Ireland’s largest renewable energy developer, is currently completing construction of the 34MW Athea wind farm near Abbeyfeale. When complete it will increase SSE’s total operational wind capacity in County Limerick to over 100MW. The addition of Athea wind farm to SSE Airtricity’s generation portfolio in West Limerick will further increase the annual community fund payment made by the company each year.