Planning granted to extend completion date of South Donegal wind farm
An Coimisiún Pleanála had granted a ten-year period of completion for Crilly Windfarm in 2016
Planning permission has been granted by Donegal County Council to extend the duration of time permitted to construct a wind farm in South Donegal.
In August 2016, An Coimisíun Pleanála granted planning permission, which allowed for the construction and operation of four wind turbines and associated infrastructure at Crilly, several kilometres north of Pettigo near the Tyrone border, after an appeal in which Donegal County Council initially refused to approve planning permission.
The original expiry date for the wind turbines was for construction to be completed by August 30, 2026, which was later revised to November 27, 2026. The submitted application for a newly proposed expiry date of November 27, 2031, was accepted by Donegal County Council.
No alterations to the previously permitted design were included in the most recent application, which involves the four wind turbines that would have a maximum blade diameter of 93 metres and a maximum blade tip height of 126.5 metres.
Support documents for the obtained planning, compiled by Canavan Associates, stated: “The applicant has actively progressed the permitted development and has not allowed the permission to remain dormant.
“Substantial work has been completed to ensure that the Permitted Development can be implemented in accordance with the requirements of the Planning Authority. It indicates that no substantive outstanding technical or environmental concerns remain from DCC. The only pre-commencement of construction remaining items relate to the implementation of a reinstatement bond, which the Applicant is committed to.”
Stated elsewhere, the document said: “The delay in implementing the permitted development does not arise from inactivity, lack of commitment or deficiency in the permission itself.
“Rather, it reflects the practical challenges associated with securing a technically and commercially viable route-to-market solution for a project dependent upon a cross-border grid connection arrangement through transmission infrastructure at Magherakeel, County Tyrone.”
Arguing for the need for the wind turbines, it was written that the “permitted development can be delivered in full, in line with Ireland’s national and local policy objectives for renewable energy development.
“County Donegal, with its strong and consistent wind resource, is a strategically important location for onshore wind energy generation.
“The region’s upland and rural landscapes offer optimal conditions for wind farm development, as reflected by the county’s 455MW of installed wind energy capacity, ranking as the county's third-highest for electricity generation from wind nationally.
“Projects such as the permitted development are essential to meeting Ireland’s legally binding climate and energy targets.”
Donegal County Council granted permission for the application with 16 conditions, including a condition imposed that before development commences, the developer should provide adequate security to the Planning Authority of €80,000, either by a cash deposit or a bond acceptable to the Planning Authority, in order to ensure the satisfactory restoration or re-instatement of the site, in compliance with a different condition imposing that the permission is for a period of 25 years from the date of commissioning of the wind farm.