‘Dismay’ over plan for 17 wind turbines in Limerick taller than the Spire in Dublin

WIND turbines three times the height of Kilmallock Church’s spire planned for south Limerick has caused “widespread dismay”.

The Bruff Dromin Athlacca–Ballinlee Community Action Group was formed and they are holding a public information meeting at the Thomas Fitzgerald Centre in Bruff at 7.15pm next Monday, July 21.

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A group spokesperson said that following a Leader article in November 2024, it emerged that Ballinlee Green Energy had entered “pre-application consultation” with An Coimisiún Pleanála for a huge 17-turbine project.

“Sixteen of the turbines are proposed to have a tip height of 160 metres — that’s three times the height of Kilmallock Church spire (55m) and 40 metres taller than Dublin’s Spire. The rotor diameter alone will be 136 metres — almost the length of Croke Park.

"It’s astonishing how big these things are. When the current 2006 guidelines were published, turbines were a third of the size they are today. 

“The proposed wind farm would span eight townlands across the wider Bruff, Dromin, Athlacca communities — Ballincurra, Ballinlee South, Ballingayrour, Ballinrea, Carrigeen, Knockuregare, Ballinlee North and Camas South — placing up to 200 homes within 1km or less of these massive structures.

"The proposed turbine locations have still not been shared with the community. The project is understood to be just 1.5kms from the vibrant town of Bruff,” said a spokesperson.

They say a parent company - Greensource -  are proposing multiple wind farm developments across County Limerick including between Charleville and Bruree (Garrane Green Energy) and Coolcappa (Ballynisky Green Energy).

The group said the wider Bruff, Dromin, Athlacca area is not the right location for a project of this scale. 

“These turbines will have a severe intrusion on the visual amenity of the immediate and surrounding areas including Lough Gur, which is of such significant archaeological and historical importance, our national school where over 250 children attend. 

“You cannot put 17 160 metre tall, 136m wide moving mechanical structures into a populated area and expect there not to be issues. It's madness,” they say. Noise nuisance, shadow flicker and vibration concerns are all highlighted.

The project is now in its “community engagement” phase but local residents say they feel “completely left in the dark”.

“Engagement has only covered residents within 1km of a proposed turbine. This falls far below what we consider any meaningful level of engagement. The project will impact people for miles around.

 “We are not opposed to renewable energy. We fully recognise the need for wind energy to help meet Ireland’s climate targets. 

“However, the Government’s approach to large-scale wind farm development is failing to balance national goals with the protection and well-being of rural communities,” say the group.

The Leader put their concerns to Ballinlee Green Energy who said the proposed wind farm site has been designated as a preferred area for wind energy development in the Limerick Development Plan 2022– 2028.

“The proposed project would play a key role in supporting the Government’s Climate Action Plan, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 51% by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. 

“This project alone has the potential to provide clean power for up to 42,000 homes and reduce harmful carbon emissions by approximately 75,000 tonnes each year of operation,” said a spokesperson.

Based on current estimates, they say it would provide an annual community benefit fund of around  €350,000.

The spokesperson said  they are  “committed to meaningful and transparent community engagement”, community consultation was launched in March 2025 with an ad in the  Leader and information was sent to all houses within 2km. 

“All houses within 1km of the proposed project were visited by the community team. 

“The dedicated community team continues to be available for one-to-one consultations, and engagement is ongoing,” said the spokesperson.