Plan for more turbines at Offaly wind farm
By Rebekah O'Reilly
Plans have been submitted for three additional wind turbines at the planned Cush Wind Farm outside Birr.
The application for the three turbines, which would have a maximum tip height of 200 metres, was lodged with Offaly County Council by Cush Wind Farm Ltd on October 28.
The proposed development would located within the townland of Cush, and on lands near Galros Bog straddling both sides of the N62 (Athlone to Birr road) between Galross Cross and where the N62 meets the N52 (Tullamore to Birr road) outside Birr.
The application is an extension to a previous application, approved by An Coimisiún Pleanála in November 2024, for an eight-turbine development by Cavan-based Galetech Energy Developments Ltd.
The proposed development of three further turbines would bring the total number at the site to 11.
The turbines would have a maximum tip height of 200 metres, a max rotor diameter of 175 metres, and a max hub height of 120.9 metres, and would be connected to the adjoining permitted Cush Wind Farm.
The application stated that, depending on the model of turbine selected, the three turbines would have a combined electricity generating capacity of approximately 18 to 22 megawatts (MW).
The development would also include new access tracks, turbine foundations, an electrical switch room with a floor area of approximately 96.2 square metre within a compound of approximately 429 square metres, enclosed by approximately 2.6 metre high palisade fencing and gates, underground cabling and associated infrastructure.
The proposal includes a 5km underground electricity grid connection linking the site in Eglish to the national electricity network, through the townlands of Eglish, Ballynaguilsha, Shanacloon, Cloncarban, Clonbeale Beg Glebe and Mullanafawnia.
The wind farm is proposed to have an operational lifespan of 35 years. The developer stated that construction of the wind farm was expected to take approximately 15 to 18 months and that, at the peak of activity, around 40 people would be employed during its construction.
The developer stated that noise from the wind farm was "not predicted to cause significant adverse effects on human health", while an automatic turbine shutdown system, a safety and control mechanism that halts turbine operation when dangerous conditions are detected, would be in use.
The developer also said it had committed to introducing a Community Benefit Fund at a rate of €2 for each megawatt-hour of electricity generated. The amount available from the fund each year will depend on how much electricity the wind farm produces. A 'Near Neighbour Scheme' is also expected to offer annual payments to eligible households closest to the wind farm.
Under the proposed scheme, eligible households within 1km of the wind farm would receive €2,000 annually, with payments reducing on a sliding scale for eligible households between 1km and 2km from it. These payments will form part of the Community Benefit Fund, which would also support local community projects.
The wind turbines would be located on Galros Bog, where peat was previously extracted.
At the time of writing, the date by which the planning application is due to be decided by Offaly County Council was not yet available.