FuturEnergy Ireland and SSE Renewables have secured planning consent for the Gort Ui Rathaile Wind Farm from An Bord Pleanala.
Gort Ui Rathaile Wind Farm close to the Cork/Kerry border will comprise 13 turbines and is located approximately 4 km from Ballyvourney in Cork.
Delivery of the wind farm will be subject to the project securing a route to market as well as a final investment decision by co-developers FuturEnergy Ireland and SSE Renewables.
Sinead O’Malley, Development Director at FuturEnergy Ireland, said: “This planning grant for Gort Uí Rathaile Wind Farm represents another significant milestone in the FuturEnergy Ireland and SSE Renewables portfolio and our combined commitment to a greener, more resilient energy future for Ireland.
“Ireland’s reliance on fossil fuel imports – costing €1 million an hour – puts both our economy and energy security at risk. Generating more renewable, home-produced electricity is critical for stabilising household energy costs as well as for strengthening our resilience against global energy uncertainties.”
Gordon Kyle, Lead Project Development Manager for SSE Renewables, said: “The decision by An Bord Pleanála to grant planning permission for Gort Uí Rathaile Wind Farm is very welcome.
“This planning grant also marks another positive step forward for the SSE Renewables-FuturEnergy Ireland co-development portfolio following the completion of Lenalea Wind Farm in Co. Donegal in 2023 and the consenting of the proposed Sheskin South Wind Farm in North Co. Mayo last year.”
During construction, up to 60 jobs would be created while six long-term roles would be required to run the wind farm during operations.
The project partners are committed to delivering a Community Benefit Fund which would deliver hundreds of thousands of euro annually to the local community when the wind farm enters commercial operation.
Gort Ui Rathaile Wind Farm is a 50:50 co-development between SSE Renewables and FuturEnergy Ireland.
The project adds to the co-development partners’ pipeline of projects, which consists of six additional projects in counties Donegal, Cork, Kerry and Mayo.
Included among these additional projects is Lenalea Wind Farm in Donegal (pictured), which reached full power and connected to the national grid in late 2023.
The combined output of this portfolio is roughly 600MW, with projects at varying stages of development.