BREAKING: Permission granted for large solar farm in Kilkenny
Kilkenny County Council have approved plans (subject to conditions) to develop a solar farm on a c.103.64ha site within the townlands of Castlegarden and Cloghscregg, Thomastown, County Kilkenny.
Lightsource Renewable Energy Ireland Ltd had been seeking a ten year planning permission for a 'Solar PV Energy Development' with a 'Battery Storage Compound'.
The development is planned to consist of solar panels mounted on steel support structures, associated cabling and ducting, inverters, transformers, switchgear substations, auxiliary transformer, permanent storage container, monitoring houses, composting toilet, BESS customer substation, battery blocks, BESS inverters, BESS interface cabinets, BESS MV skids, temporary construction compounds, tracks, boundary security fencing and security gates, CCTV, landscaping and ancillary works.
It is proposed that the development will be accessed from three separate access points. Site Access 1 will be a newly created access point of the L4205 and Site Access 2 and 3 will utilise two existing access points of an unnamed local road which runs along the northern boundary of the application site.
A Natura Impact Statement (NIS) was submitted to Kilkenny County Council with the application.
Permission was granted, subject to 25 conditions, on October 13, 2023.