Community invited to public information evening on next steps for Glenora Wind Farm project

IMAGE: SSE Renewables’ and FuturEnergy Ireland’s recently completed Lenalea Wind Farm, Co.Donegal.

• SE Renewables and FuturEnergy Ireland announce plans to develop critical infrastructure linked to the proposed Glenora Wind Farm.
• In-person public information evening to take place in Ballycastle Community Hall on Tuesday 10th December, 2:00pm-7:30pm.

SSE Renewables and co-development partner FuturEnergy Ireland have announced plans to progress critical infrastructure linked to Glenora Wind Farm, namely a grid connection route and onsite substation.

Glenora Wind Farm is a proposed 22 turbine, 158MW renewable energy project, to be located near Ballycastle in County Mayo. In December 2023, the co-development partners jointly submitted a planning application for the wind farm to An Bord Pleanála, with a decision currently pending.

Glenora Wind Farm has the potential to bring clear economic benefits to North Mayo through job creation with up to 120 jobs during the construction phase. In addition, a multi-million-euro Community Benefit Fund would be established upon Glenora Wind Farm entering commercial operations, with payments made annually to support good causes in the locality and region.

The project would also provide cleaner, more secure homegrown electricity, which is crucial to achieving our climate action targets. If consented and constructed as proposed, the wind farm would produce enough energy to power more than 115,000 homes annually and offset an estimated 113,000 metric tonnes of harmful carbon emissions each year.^{^}

The next stage of development for Glenora Wind Farm is for SSE Renewables and FuturEnergy Ireland to submit a planning application for the associated onsite substation and underground grid connection route to link the wind farm to the existing 110kV substation at Tawnaghmore. This is a necessary step to allow the wind farm, should it be consented and constructed, to export electricity to the national grid. The co-development partners may also make a separate planning application for an onsite battery energy storage system to Mayo County Council at some point in the future.

An in-person public information evening will take place in Ballycastle Community Hall on Tuesday 10th December from 2:00pm to 7:30pm where further details will be outlined with members of the project team also in attendance.

Tom Coleman, Development Project Manager for SSE Renewables, said:

“Mayo and the North-West is home to an incredible renewable energy resource. The preparation of this planning application marks the next step for the proposed Glenora Wind Farm. I encourage all those interested in this development to come to our public information evening on December 10th or access the information online at glenorawindfarm.com. If consented and constructed Glenora Wind Farm has the potential to bring huge economic benefits to North Mayo through job creation, community benefit funding and the annual payment of commercial rates.”

Emmet McLaughlin, Project Manager at FuturEnergy Ireland, said:

“Subject to approvals, Glenora Wind Farm represents a potential investment in North Mayo in the form of a multi-million-euro community benefit fund, employment opportunities and rates contributions. We are looking forward to meeting the community at this public information evening to listen to their feedback on this project’s next steps, which include a planning application for the substation and a grid connection route. This is an opportunity to learn more about this renewable energy project and share your views. Your input is essential as we move forward together.”

The public information evening will also provide an opportunity for the project team to receive feedback from the local community. For those unable to attend, all information on display will be available online at the dedicated project website, www.glenorawindfarm.com, alongside an online feedback form.

SSE Renewables and FuturEnergy Ireland will then look to submit the planning application for consideration in early 2025.

For more information, please email SSE’s Community Liaison Team at: [email protected].

_{^{^} Quoted 115,632 homes powered based on projected 158.4MW installed capacity, typical projected wind load factor of 35%, and typical annual consumption (4,200kWh). 113,643 metric tonnes of carbon emissions abated based on projected annual MWh output and latest average CO2 Emissions (0.234g/kWh) in the All-Island Single Electricity Market, and published by the CRU in its Fuel Mix Disclosure and CO2 Emissions for 2022, November 2023.}