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Proposed Midlands Wind Farm Developer Disputing Claims Of Lack Of Community Engagement

Wednesday, 27 September 2023 07:10

By Kamron Clarke X @kamron_clarke

Plans for the project have been criticised by a local councillor, due to its proximity to residents.

The developer of a proposed new wind farm in the midlands is disputing claims of a lack of community engagement.

Independent Councillor Aisling Moran criticised the plans for Coolglass Wind Farm, also believing it is too close to residents of Timahoe, Wolfhill and the Swan.

Statkraft, the developer of the project, says its team "worked hard" to engage with as many locals as possible, which included face-to-face meetings, the distribution of informative booklets and the establishment of a website.

It also says the initial layout of the project was updated to incorporate local considerations, including its proximity to homes.

In a statement to Midlands 103, Donal O’Sullivan, Head of Development at Statkraft Ireland, says:

"As with all our projects, local appropriateness is a core consideration along with careful site selection. The initial design layouts of the Coolglass project, which focused on the capacity of this area to produce renewable energy, were updated to incorporate local considerations. These included the project distance from nearby homes along with local environmental constraints, ensuring the project would be suitable and work well for the locality. The layouts also took into account local heritage sites.

In terms of the natural environment, our projects provide us with a unique opportunity to create more space for biodiversity. Some of the initiatives we have rolled out on other project sites include the planting of wildflower meadows, sowing sections of species-rich grass, tree planting, enhancing hedgerows and providing opportunities for bird nesting. All this work is carried out in tandem with the deployment of clean energy solutions that bolster Ireland’s energy security while displacing harmful greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.

Statkraft takes community engagement seriously and is committed to getting feedback from residents living near the company’s project sites. In the case of the Coolglass Wind Farm, the dedicated Community Liaison team responsible for this project worked hard to engage with as many members of the locality as possible. This engagement took the form of face-to-face meetings, direct contact with householders living in the vicinity of the project, and the distribution of hundreds of information booklets. A project-specific website was also created for this proposal, which was visited approximately 1,700 times.

The Coolglass project has the potential to make a meaningful difference in delivering both energy security and climate action. We would like to thank everyone who has taken time to consider, and provide feedback on, the proposal in terms of its design and the benefits it can deliver locally and nationally. This feedback is central to how we aim to develop renewable energy projects that are both suitable and appropriate."

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