SSE Airtricity makes 10th annual Community Fund presentation in Co. Wexford

SSE Airtricity, Ireland’s leading green energy provider, has awarded nearly €25,000 to community groups close to its Richfield Wind Farm in Co. Wexford.

Through its Community Fund programme, the company has been donating to local projects in Co. Wexford for a decade now, and this latest presentation takes the total amount awarded in the region to over €232,000.

This year’s presentation took place at the Stella Maris Community Centre in Kilmore Quay on Friday 7 April. A total of 10 community groups will benefit from this year’s funding, including schools, sports clubs and community associations.

The Kilmore Quay Community Development Association will use the funding to improve the energy efficiency of the kitchen at the Stella Maris Community Centre. Michael Maguire, Secretary of the Association, commented: “The Stella Maris Community Centre provides a wide range of services, activities and programmes for residents in Kilmore Quay, including a ‘meals on wheels’ service for elderly people in the area throughout the year. This year, we will use the funding from SSE Airtricity to upgrade the equipment in our kitchen, improving our energy efficiency, and ultimately reducing our costs. The money we save can then be used to further improve community services.”

The majority of the recipient groups will be putting this year’s contribution towards improving their energy efficiency measures, which SSE Airtricity strongly supports.

Other initiatives being supported range from an energy-efficient lighting project at Kilmore United FC, to attic insulation for Ballymore Mayglass Community Development Association.

Anne Reynolds, SSE Airtricity Community Development Officer, said: “We’re delighted to be awarding funding to community projects close to our Richfield Wind Farm for the tenth year running. At SSE Airtricity, we’re committed to bringing positive energy to the communities closest to our wind farms, and we’re proud to have contributed over €232,000 to local groups in Co. Wexford to date. It’s been great to see so many projects come to life over the last decade, and in particular those involving improvements in energy efficiency, which can bring such lasting benefits to the community.”

SSE Airtricity’s Richfield Wind Farm has a total generation capacity of 27MW and produces enough renewable energy to power over 15,000 homes in the region.