Around 150 community members attended a consultation event hosted by SSE and Coillte to discuss the proposed structure for the new Galway Wind Park Community Fund. The event took place at The Boat Inn, Main Street, Oughterard, on Thursday 6 July.
As joint developers, SSE and Coillte are currently designing a Community Fund programme aimed at recognising the support, cooperation and needs of local people. Community members and local stakeholders were invited to the consultation event to review the proposed structure of the Galway Wind Park Community Fund, and provide their feedback and ideas for incorporation into the programme’s final design.
The current proposal involves annual contributions to community groups and projects, as well as support for local school students progressing to further education. Members of the SSE and Coillte Community Fund team were on hand to guide those in attendance through the proposals, answer questions and gather feedback.
Further information on the proposal, as well as feedback forms, can be found on the project website - ireland.sse.com/galwaywindpark. Feedback and queries can be emailed to [email protected] up until 31 July 2017.
Marian Troy, Head of Corporate Affairs at SSE, said: “As part of our commitment to the local community, we want to create a Community Fund programme that makes a genuine and lasting difference for local people and organisations. It was great to see so many community members at the consultation event and to get their thoughts and suggestions on the current proposal, which we will use when finalising the programme design. Thanks to everyone who attended on the night, and we look forward to receiving further feedback over the coming weeks.”
A report on the feedback received during the consultation process, and the final proposal, will be posted on the project website in advance of the Community Fund opening for applications.
The 169MW Galway Wind Park is set to enter commercial operation later this year and will be Ireland’s largest wind farm, generating enough green energy to power around 90,000 homes, equivalent to almost 80% of all homes in Co. Galway.* The Galway Wind Park Community Fund will be Ireland’s largest wind farm community fund. The first grants are due to be awarded in early 2018.
*Homes powered calculations based on typical annual consumptions in All-Island Single Electricity Market (as of 1 March 2017) and 1year average recorded capacity factor of SSE wind farms operating on the island, April 2015 - March 2016. Historic figures quoted are for guideline purposes only – actual future performance may vary