Ballynagare
Wind Farm
EMPower began development in Ireland in 2018 with the goal of providing low carbon, ecologically non-invasive, affordable energy to facilitate Ireland’s expanding economy and sustainable energy targets.
We are in the environmental impact assessment, planning application and public consultation phase at the proposed Ballynagare Wind Farm in Co. Kerry, Ireland.
This website is intended to provide up to date information to the local community and as such, all Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies and planning application documentation are published at our Planning Submission webpage below:
To access the proposed Ballynagare project's dedicated on-line Community Consultation Room, where you can view further detailed project information including an interactive photo viewer depicting the project as it would look if built out, please click on the button directly below marked ''Enter Project Consultation Room''
ABOUT EMPOWER
EMPower is an Irish based international wind energy developer with over 700 MW in development in Europe and Africa. Our senior management team has a combined 95 years' experience delivering projects from conception to operation across five continents.
EMPower is a private limited company and a owned by GGE Ireland Limited, Wind Power Invest A/S and EMP Holdings Limited.
Our vision is to provide low carbon, ecologically non-invasive, affordable energy to facilitate Ireland’s expanding economy and sustainable energy targets. We are in the environmental impact assessment and public consultation stage of development at the Ballynagare Wind Farm.
95 Years
5 Continents
+700 MW
Combined Experience of Management Team
Geographical Experience
Capacity Under Development
THE PROJECT
€3.1 million Community Fund
Enough Clean Power for 24,000 Irish Homes
€42.6 million Investment in Irish Renewable Energy
€23.2 million in Corporate Tax
€10.1 Million in
County Council Rates
88 Direct
Jobs Created
Ballynagare wind farm will involve a €46.2 million investment in Irish renewable energy, providing world class, low carbon electricity generation infrastructure to meet Ireland's growing demand. Direct corporate tax earnings for the Irish governement are estimated to exceed €23.2 million over the project lifetime and the project will contribute approximately €10.1 million in county council rates.
Ballynagare Wind Farm will also provide a community fund calculated in accordance with the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) Terms and Conditions at €2 per MWh of electricity produced by the project. This is to be made available to the local community for the duration of the RESS (15 years). The average capacity factor of wind energy projects in Ireland is 28.3% (SEAI, 2019). Using this efficiency figure as an example, and a capacity of 56 MW, the community benefit fund would amount to an average of €208,243 per annum. The actual fund will vary around the average from year to year, depending on wind conditions. Onsite wind measurements suggest that Ballynagare will be capable of achieving an above average capacity factor, and therefore a larger community fund.
This scheme is proposed to be divided as per the indicative illustration in the chart below. An annual payment of €1,000 will be provided to each household within 1km of any Ballynagare Wind Farm turbine. An annual payment of €500 will be provided to each household located between 1km and 1.5km of a turbine. These payments will be fixed and will not fluctuate. 40% of the fund, amounting to approximately €83,297 per year in this example, will be allocated to not-for-profit community enterprises, with an emphasis on low-carbon initiatives. The remainder of the fund will be directed towards local clubs, societies and initiatives, with an emphasis on the villages of Lixnaw and Ballyduff. We welcome any suggestions from the community on suitable local projects that could be supported under this initiative.
As well as these direct financial benefits, Ballynagare wind farm will provide local employment opportunities. According to SEAI's "A Macroeconomic Analysis of Onshore Wind Deployment to 2020", 2.11 direct jobs are created per MW of installed wind capacity. Given a capacity of 56 MW, Ballynagare Wind Farm could create 88 direct jobs. Following SEAI's calculations, 71 of these would created for the construction phase, while 17 operations and maintenance jobs would endure throughout the project's lifetime.
The proposed development area of Ballynagare Wind Farm is located 2.5 km south-east of Ballyduff village in County Kerry. The region is situated in Kerry County Council's preferred zone for wind energy development. EMPower propose a 7-turbine wind farm, at hub heights of 95 metres and a tip height of 170 metres. This wind farm is expected to generate enough clean, indigenous electricity to power over 24,000 Irish homes.
PUBLICATIONS
CONTACT
Please get in touch
We would greatly appreciate your input and feedback regarding this exciting opportunity at Ballynagare.
Please submit your queries and comments below and a member of our team will be in touch.
Alternatively, please feel free to reach out directly to the Community Liaison Officer for the proposed Ballynagare Wind Farm, Alexander Kelly, at ak@emp.group.
Head Office
EMPower
5th Floor, Portview House
Thorncastle Street
Dublin 4
D04 V9Y9