SSE’s Leanamore Wind Farm in Co. Kerry has now entered full commercial operation, just 11 months after construction first began at the site.
The nine-turbine wind farm has a permitted export capacity of 18MW, enough to power over 10,000 homes with renewable energy, while offsetting around 16,500 tonnes of harmful CO2 emissions every year*.
Combined with SSE’s four operational wind farms in West Limerick (Tournafulla, Rathcahill, Dromada and Athea) and its three operational wind farms in Cork (Coomacheo, Curragh and Coomatallin), Leanamore brings the company’s total renewable export capacity in the south west of Ireland to over 180MW.
Later this year SSE will launch a Community Fund programme, making annual contributions to local groups within a 20km radius of the wind farm. The Leanamore Wind Farm Community Fund, which will operate for the lifetime of the wind farm, will provide yearly financial support to locally-led projects that focus on energy efficiency, safety and sustainability in the community.
Through the Community Fund programme for its operational wind farms, SSE has so far awarded over €6.5m to more than 2,500 community projects across the island of Ireland.
Bryan O’Connor, SSE’s Site Manager for Leanamore Wind Farm, commented:
“We’re delighted that Leanamore Wind Farm is now fully operational, generating enough renewable energy to power thousands of homes and businesses, while helping to reduce Ireland’s reliance on fossil fuels.
“I want to say a big thank you to the local community for their patience and support during the construction phase, which allowed us to complete the project on time, and most importantly, to the highest safety standards. We’re really proud of the economic benefit the project has brought to the local area to this point, and we’re now looking forward to continuing to make a positive difference for local people through our annual Community Fund.”
SSE is Ireland’s leading green energy generator, with around 740MW of operational capacity at its 29 onshore wind farms on the island. SSE is currently progressing plans to fully develop the Arklow Bank offshore wind farm to deliver a minimum of 520MW of renewable energy capacity.
*Homes powered calculations based on typical annual consumptions in All-Island Single Electricity Market (as of 1 March 2017) and 1 year average recorded capacity factor of SSE wind farms operating on the island, April 2016 - March 2017. Historic figures quoted are for guideline purposes only – actual future performance may vary.