OPINION: Kilkenny community bewildered over new wind farm proposal

Ballyfasy in South Kilkenny is the latest rural community targeted by wind farm developers as Ireland aims to meet EU directives on renewable energy.

Ireland has committed to meet a target of sourcing 80% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030. This target may seem high given other countries within the EU have committed to only40%. This, of course, seems good on paper but the real cost of such a high target in such a short timeframe may be more than we are willing to pay.

The immediate area surrounding Ballyfasy already contains two wind farms, Ballymartin and Ballylog. Nestled amongst the hills nearby they don’t generally cause a stir with local residents, they were erected several years ago.

Though imposing at 120m in height they are far enough away from local residences to not cause mass disturbance. The new proposal for Ballyfasy, currently in planning review with An Coimisiun Pleanala, however, is seeking permission for a total of 10 mega turbines at a height of nearly 180 metres high, along with an electrical substation.
READ: 'COMMUNITY DESERVES TO HAVE ITS SAY ON WINDFARM'

These industrial scale machines will also be around 720 metres from family homes if approved. In fact, within a 2km radius there are currently 168 family homes.

One would imagine with a project of this size and scale to assume local communities would have been approached for their input and how it would affect them. As yet there has been no contact from Kilkenny County Council regarding the project and calls to the development company, Manogate Ltd for a public meeting has been denied.

The local community are bewildered as to why such an imposing windfarm would be erected so close to homes and in the middle of such a lush and rural area, with no consultation or advice sought from those most affected.
Nature and environment are top concerns; after all, the aim of a renewable energy source is to protect the environment.
READ MORE KILKENNY VIEWS AND OPINION HERE

Unfortunately, the sheer scale of construction of such a project would mean swathes of forestry in Ballyfasy will be destroyed, local wildlife will be displaced with nesting grounds, roosts, feeding grounds and breeding grounds destroyed. Ballyfasy in particular homes a variety of local species such as bats, pine martens, red kite buzzards and badgers. The Glenmore River also sits downhill of Ballyfasy, a special area of conservation in its own right.

Residential problems with windfarms are also of major concern with intrusive noise, light flicker, visual impact, etc well documented. People living in the area are concerned that the residential amenity of their homes is not compatible with industrial wind farms.

The Ballyfasy community are worried too for the future of the area - planning and mortgage approvals near turbines can be difficult. A once-thriving community may find its population dwindles as people are forced to move to surrounding areas. Population impacts may not be immediate but are a longer view of a project that will have a lifespan of 35 years and will make Ballyfasy less of an attractive area to live in for families.

Renewable energy, though, does not have to be a dirty word - it just has to be suitable and equitable. Ballyfasy already has wind farms in its vicinity, in areas away from such a large population and of a size more suited for their locations. Proper planning and regulation could see communities embrace turbines, but it would require consultation and respect for local communities.

Current guidelines regulating wind farms currently date from 2006 and are severely outdated for the size and scale of modern developments. Efforts to have newer guidelines put in place to address the much larger and imposing turbines of today were drafted in 2019. Their implementation and approval have still not been ratified, with a Dail vote in early December pushing these out for at least another year.

Ballyfasy, and other areas affected by unsuitable developments, have urged government to instil a moratorium on all new wind farm developments until this issue is addressed.

Community action appears to be the only recourse to address unsuitable planning. Ballyfasy residents are actively working towards a recognition from local council and ministers of the preposterous nature of this wind farm developments.

Submissions of objections will take place over the next few weeks to An Coimisiun Pleanala as the community aims to make its voice heard, all support and submissions from surrounding areas such as Glenmore, Listerlin, Mullinavat and others would also be much appreciated.

The strategy for wind development is a national one. The only way to support a sensible approach to renewable energy is to support each other.