More details sought on wind farm

Mitigation measures for controversial plan

Tipperary Co Council has requested further information on a controversial plan to build four large wind turbines and a meteorological mast near Nenagh.

Coolderry Green Energy Limited is seeking planning permission for the turbines, with a proposed hub height of 92 metres, and associated works in the townlands of Coolderry, Grenanstown, Ballinamona, Knockbrack, Kilconane, Kilkeary, Ballygasheen, Knockalton Upper, Lisbunny, Tyone and Lissatunny, Nenagh. The plan envisages connection to the national grid via an underground cable from a proposed substation at the wind farm site to the existing Nenagh 110kV substation. It is proposed that the grid connection route will be 8.7km in total, most of it along the R498.

The plan attracted more than 60 local submissions in which a series of objections were raised in relation to the size of the proposed turbines, their visual impact in a rural area, as well as potential noise, shadow flicker, impact on local roads, wildlife and ecology, and devaluation of property.

SHADOW FLICKER

The council recently wrote to the applicant company seeking further information on several aspects of the plan. It noted the number of properties that “could potentially be affected by shadow flicker” and found that 48 receptors would exceed the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines threshold of 30 minutes per day.

“Further information is sought on whether these impacts can be mitigated by design, ie through reducing the number of turbines,” the council said in its letter to Coolderry Green Energy.

Additional information was sought in relation to the grid connection infrastructure. “The details submitted do not define the proposed grid infrastructure alignment with sufficient accuracy,” the applicant was informed, the council requiring further details on the “technical feasibility of the proposal”.

Among other matters in need of redress, the applicant company was asked to provide clarity on the effectiveness of mitigation measures for birds. “The wind turbines will present potential collision risks to important bird species,” the council noted. “Further information is required on whether reducing turbine heights or reducing turbine numbers would be more effective in mitigating collision risks to the at-risk bird species.”

‘WORST CASE SCENARIO’

The council expressed concern over a number of viewpoints contained in the application and requested revised photomontages based on revised locations in the vicinity of these viewpoints. “Given the scale of the development and nature of the landscape, it is considered that the development should be shown on the basis of worst case scenario,” Coolderry Green Energy was told.

Elsewhere, the applicant was asked to submit an Archaeological Impact Assessment (AIA), including a geophysical survey and archaeological test excavation of the wind turbine site area. The Adare, Co Limerick-based company was furthermore asked to engage with Shannon Airport Authority and air navigation service provider AirNav Ireland to confirm that the proposed wind farm development would not impact on operations at the airport.

The company was given six months to comply with the council’s further information request.