Gaelectric gets approval for €68m Derry wind farm

IRISH renewable energy group, Gaelectric has secured planning approval for a €68 million wind farm development in Co Derry.

The 42 megawatt (MW) wind farm, at Dunbeg, will consist of 14 wind turbines, which will generate sufficient renewable power to meet the electricity needs of 24,000 homes.

The project will now advance through a number of other phases before building work begins, but it is expected to be fully operational sometime in 2014.

“This is a very significant milestone for our business and greatly strengthens our platform in the energy market. We’ve now secured planning approval for over 80MW of wind energy developments in Northern Ireland. The Dunbeg site is a world-class energy resource and accounts for over half of this generation capacity,” according to Gaelectric chief executive, Brendan McGrath.

Dunbeg — the site is located between Coleraine and Limavady — brings to four the number of Northern Ireland-based wind farm developments (the others being spread across counties Tyrone and Antrim) for which the company has secured full planning approval inside the last 12 months.

In total, it is currently progressing 200MW worth of energy projects on the island of Ireland.

“Our Northern Ireland projects will be invaluable in securing a sustainable energy future on the island of Ireland,” Mr McGrath added.

The company — which also has assets in North America — has also announced financial closure on its 4.6MW wind farm at Skrine in Co Roscommon. This project is scheduled to be up and running by July of this year.

Commenting on this project, Mr McGrath said the €8m development will generate enough ‘green’ electricity to meet the demand of around 2,500 homes.

The long-term funding for Skrine — which is located seven kilometres south of Roscommon town — has been provided by Dutch bank, Triodos, which specialises in ethical and sustainable investment.