SSE Renewables and FuturEnergy join forces on plans for wind farm in Mayo

SSE Renewables is joining forces with State company partnership FuturEnergy Ireland to build a wind farm capable of supplying more than 115,000 homes a year.

SSE Renewables, part of the group that owns supplier Airtricity, said on Thursday that it and FuturEnergy have sought planning permission for a 22-turbine wind farm at Glenora, Co Mayo.

FuturEnergy Ireland is the joint venture established by State forestry company Coillte with energy group ESB to invest €1 billion in onshore wind farms by 2030.

SSE and FuturEnergy say the proposed Glenora wind farm could generate enough electricity to power more than 115,000 homes a year.

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The pair are 50/50 partners in the development and say that construction could create up to 120 jobs at peak. The proposed site is 7km southwest of Ballycastle and 6km southeast of Belderrig.

Talks with local groups helped shape the plans for the power plant, which the partnership has submitted to An Bord Pleanála.

The two companies will establish a “multimillion-euro community benefit fund” once the wind farm begins selling electricity.

Tom Coleman, development project manager for SSE Renewables, said Mayo and the northwest had “immense” renewable energy potential.

“However, for projects like Glenora Wind Farm to deliver their potential, investment in grid infrastructure in the northwest is critical,” he said.

[ Chasing the promise of cheaper and less obtrusive wind power generation ]

Emmet McLaughlin, project manager at FuturEnergy Ireland, noted that environmental studies and extensive talks with the community informed the wind farm’s design.

“We are pleased to incorporate this feedback and submit the planning application for this project, which comes at a time when Ireland is in urgent need of renewable energy,” he added.

SSE Renewables is part of SSE plc, the London-listed energy infrastructure company. It is investing £7 billion (€8.1 billion) up to 2027 across Ireland, Britain, Spain, France, Italy and elsewhere.