ALMOST €145,000 NOW AWARDED TO COMMUNITY GROUPS IN TIPPERARY AND LIMERICK BY SSE AIRTRICITY

SSE Airtricity, Ireland’s largest provider of 100% green energy, has handed out more than €12,000 to community groups near its Knockastanna Wind Farm close to the Limerick and Tipperary border. This year’s Community Fund brings the company’s overall contribution in the region to €144,749 since 2010.

The presentation took place at Doon GAA Club on Tuesday 21May. A total of eleven local groups benefited from the pay out of €12,428, including schools, sports clubs and community organisations. Through its Community Fund programme, SSE Airtricity makes annual contributions to community groups in the vicinity of its wind farms.

Rearcross National School will be putting this year’s funding towards replacing all radiators in the old section of the school. Acting Principal, Siobhan Corcoran said: “Installing new compact radiators with thermostatically controlled valves will greatly reduce our heating bills as the old radiators are inefficient and the old system required the heat to be on for long periods of time.”

Other projects being supported range from external doors at Cappawhite National School, water heating system at Rearcross Football Club, to pitch lighting projects for Sean Tracy, Doon Community Centre and Cullen-Lattin AFC. Curreeny Community Hall will put the funding towards improving insulation while Kilcommon Community Council will be investing in energy efficient equipment.

Anne Reynolds, SSE Airtricity Community Development Officer,said: “We’re delighted to be awarding this year’s funding to 11 forward-thinking and deserving local groups. It’s great to see so much of the money going towards improvements in energy efficiency, which will help to reduce heating bills and ultimately lead to a greener and more sustainable environment for the whole community. We’ve now donated over €144,000 to local projects near Knockastanna Wind Farm, in line with our continued commitment to the communities closest to our wind farms.”

SSE Airtricity’s Knockastanna Wind Farm has a total capacity of 6MW and generates enough green energy to power over 2,000 homes in the region.

The successful applicants for this year’s Community Fund are Cappawhite National School, Cullen–Lattin AFC, Curreeny Community Hall, Donohill Development Council, Doon GAA, Doon Community Council, Dún Bleisce Historical & Literary Society, Kilcommon Community Council, Rearcross Football Club, Rearcross Nation School and Sean Tracey’s GAA.