Lenalea Wind Farm is a 50/50 joint venture onshore wind project between SSE Renewables and FuturEnergy Ireland.

Consisting of seven turbines with a maximum tip height of 135 metres, Lenalea Wind Farm has an installed capacity of 30MW with the green electricity generated contributing significantly to Ireland’s 2030 renewable energy targets. Lenalea Wind Farm is situated in the rural upland setting of central Donegal, approximately 8km southwest of Letterkenny within the townlands of Cark, Killymansy, Lenalea, Kirkneedy and Rareagh.

In May 2024, SSE Renewables and FuturEnergy Ireland announced that they had entered into a long-term Corporate Power Purchase Agreement (CPPA) with Microsoft linked to Lenalea Wind Farm. Under the CPPA terms, the renewable electricity produced by the seven Vestas V117-4.3MW turbines at Lenalea Wind Farm will contribute towards Microsoft’s goal of powering its data centre operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025.

_{Pictured at the Lenalea Wind Farm opening day (from left): Ciarán Conlon, Director of Public Policy, Microsoft Ireland; Heather Donald, Onshore Renewable Development, SSE Renewables; Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue TD; Peter Lynch, CEO, FuturEnergy Ireland; and Noel Cunniffe, CEO, Wind Energy Ireland.}

SSE Renewables led on Lenalea's construction and will operate the wind farm throughout its lifetime.

Lenalea reached full power and connected to Ireland's national grid in late 2023, with an official opening day for the wind farm taking place in May 2024.

History

In March 2021, development partners SSE Renewables and FuturEnergy Ireland announced Vestas as the turbine supplier for Lenalea. Under the turbine supply agreement, Vestas supplied and installed seven V117-4.2 MW turbines in 4.3 MW operating mode.

The turbines will be serviced through an Active Output Management 5000 (AOM 5000) service agreement, utilising Vestas’ existing service base in the region. The V117-4.3 MW turbines rise to a hub height of 76.5 metres.

SSE Renewables also owns and operates other wind farm sites adjacent to Lenalea, collectively known as Meentycat, with a total generation capacity of 88.5MW.

Investing in the Local Community

The Lenalea Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund will operate in accordance with industry best practice. The fund will aim to deliver projects that will bring social, environmental and economic benefits to the area. It is estimated that the fund will be approximately €150,000 per annum but is dependent on the wind farm performance.

A Community Benefit Committee has also been established and will help to shape the funding strategy document for the Lenalea Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund. This strategy will help define the priorities for funding applications.