I was delighted to welcome First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon to our corporate headquarters on the first day of her visit to Ireland. As a Scottish-based company that has invested over €2 billion into growing our business in Ireland and into developing trusted relationships with our customers here, we recognise the invaluable economic, social and cultural links that exist between our two countries.
I was particularly pleased that the First Minister has been able to join Irish Climate Action Minister Naughten and our project partner Coillte in launching the Galway Wind Park Sustainability Impact Report. The best-in-class approach taken on the project underpins SSE’s core value of sustainability. As the report highlights, this development is making a massive contribution to the local and national economy. We are very proud of the joint efforts made by everyone on the team to leave an enduring legacy that will remain long after the completion of this important energy project.
More specifically, the report highlights that the 169MW project will power 89,000 homes, equivalent to 80% of the homes in Co. Galway, and displace 190,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, contributing directly to the decarbonisation of Ireland’s economy.
The project has added €88.7 million to Irish GDP, supporting 1,657 years of employment whilst also making a direct contribution to the local economy, with €20m spent with over 100 local suppliers and contractors. We are delighted that 63% of civil contractors and 43% of grid contractors live within 30km of the site.
The project will leave a lasting legacy in its surrounding community, with €150,000 to date being contributed to local community projects, delivering walking trails and a sensory garden among other initiatives. A multi-million euro community fund will be available once the wind park is operational.
The project showcases how development of scale with a best-in-class approach, including a collaborative outlook with our key project partners, enables the mutual delivery of our economic, climate change and community objectives to be maximised.
Click here to view the full Galway Wind Park Sustainability Impact Report.