SSE Airtricity, Northern Ireland’s leading renewable energy generator, has presented over £83,000 to 19 community groups based near its Tievenamenta Wind Farm in Killeter, Co. Tyrone.
This year’s presentation took place in the Fir Trees Hotel in Strabane and brings the overall contribution to local groups to over £166,000. The SSE Airtricity Tievenamenta Wind Farm Community Fund launched in 2018 and will be worth over £2million to local projects and groups across its lifetime.
St. Davogs GFC is putting the funding towards replacement external doors for the club house.
Kieran McGuire, Development Officer of St. Davogs GFC, said:
“Our facility was built in the late 1980s, it is used by a variety of groups between sports, community, schools, youth, and women’s groups. We carried out an internal audit and found that our main costs were heating the facility. The energy audit showed we were losing a significant amount of energy through our windows and doors. SSE Airtricity’s funding will enable us replace the external doors helping us to reduce our heating bills in future.”
Lettercran Hall Committee will be using this year’s contribution towards replacement doors and windows for the hall.
James Hilley, Secretary at Lettercran Hall Committee, said:
“Through SSE Airtricity’s funding last year, combined with some small funding of our own, we replaced the windows and doors at the front of the hall. This year, SSE Airtricity’s funding will enable us to replace the remaining windows for the building and complete the project. The new energy efficient doors and windows will not only help to significantly reduce our energy bills but will make our hall more comfortable for all the community members that use it.”
Other projects being supported range from energy-efficient doors at Essan Cottage, to a porch at Coolcreaghy Community Association, to windows at Culmaine Parish Together and Friends of St. Francis of Assisi Drumnabey, to insulation for Killeter Presbyterian Church, Aghyaran Development Association, Ardbarron Cultural Association, Castlederg Free Presbyterian Church, Castlederg & District No.12 Credit Union Ltd, Ederney Community Development Trust and Termonamongan Parish Hall, to solar panels for First Castlederg Presbyterian Church, to energy efficient lighting for Killeter & District Development Trust, and NFC Kesh Football Club, and energy efficient equipment upgrade for St. Joseph’s Primary School.
Speaking at the event, SSE Airtricity Community Development Officer Anne Reynolds commented:
“We’re delighted to be presenting over £83,000 to 19 forward-thinking and important community projects this year. This is the second year of our Tievenamenta Community Fund and it’s great to see so much of the money going towards improvements in energy efficiency, which is a fantastic way to secure long-term benefit for the community.”
SSE Airtricity’s Tievenamenta Wind Farm can generate 34MW of clean, green energy combined equivalent to powering approximately 30,000 homes.