Community Benefit Fund to be established if permission granted for Kellystown wind farm

EDF Renewables Ireland, the company proposing to build a wind farm eight Kilometres north of Drogheda at Kellystown, has announced new details about the project and is to hold a public exhibition in the Drumshallon Forge Heritage Centre on Friday next, December the first.

The company says that if the project receives planning permission and is constructed, a Community Benefit Fund will be established, to support local initiatives and activities. 

The project, which has attracted strong opposition from the local community, will comprise up to five turbines with tip heights of up to 180m. EDF says that collectively the turbines will have a generating capacity of c.30MW, enough to power the equivalent of c.22, 000 homes.

Following consultation with the local community, the project team intends to submit a planning application and the Environmental Impact Assessment Report in support of the project to Louth County Council in the first quarter of 2024. 

Subject to planning permission, the wind farm is expected to be operational in 2028. The project will also include access tracks, a substation and battery storage facility, a temporary construction compound, a permanent meteorological mast, underground cabling and a grid connection which links the wind farm to the national electricity grid. 

Jenny Howard, Head of Development at EDF Renewables Ireland, said: “The exhibition allows us to share detailed project information and progress to date with the local community.

“Our team has conducted thorough studies in the areas of environmental impact, geotechnical analysis and habitat assessment, and residents will have the opportunity to learn more about the project and provide feedback on our proposals.

“As the effects of the climate crisis grow increasingly apparent each day, projects like Kellystown Wind Farm are poised to play a pivotal role in decarbonising Ireland’s electricity supply. On top of this, the more electricity we are able to generate in Ireland, the less we are reliant on expensive imported fossil fuels. Additionally, if the project is constructed it will result in the establishment of a Community Benefit Fund, aimed at bolstering local initiatives and activities within the region.”

The public exhibition will be held at the Drumshallon Forge Heritage Centre from 2pm to 7pm on the 1^st of December. It will feature information about the project and the environmental surveys completed to date, photomontages illustrating the visual impact of the turbines from local viewpoints, details of the project timeline and information on other aspects of wind energy. There is no need to register in advance and all are welcome to attend. A virtual exhibition will also be available to view at www.edf-re.ie/our-sites/kellystown

To find out more about Kellystown Wind Farm please visit www.edf-re.ie/our-sites/kellystown or contact the project team by email at kellystownwindfarm@edf-re.ie