Gaelectric officially opens £16.8 million wind farm in Northern Ireland
Renewable energy and energy storage group, Gaelectric, has officially opened its £16.8 million wind farm at Monnaboy on Loughermore Mountain in Co. Derry/Londonderry. The site is located approx. 6km south-east of Eglinton and approx. 12.5km south-east of Derry/Londonderry (Monnaboy Rd, Eglinton, BT47 3HP)
Monnaboy is Gaelectric's third operating wind farm in Northern Ireland. The company is progressing through a programme to construct and commission a near term portfolio of approximately 400MWs of consented wind energy projects on the island of Ireland by 2017.
The 12 Megawatt (MW) wind farm comprises four Enercon wind turbines, with a maximum blade tip height of 121.2metres. It will generate sufficient green renewable power to meet the electricity demand of over 7,436 homes on an annual basis.
Monnaboy Wind Farm will not only boost Northern Ireland's renewable energy generation capacity, it will also create jobs, support workforce skills and contribute to economic activity in the area. To date, the project has created over 25 full time and part time jobs during its development and construction phase.
Patrick McClughan, Head of Corporate Affairs for Gaelectric Developments Ltd, said:
"The 12 MW Monnaboy wind farm development is the third renewable energy project that Gaelectric has commissioned in Northern Ireland. This official opening marks yet another important milestone for our business and further strengthens Gaelectric's platform in the energy market on the island of Ireland.
"Our total permitted portfolio now stands at 140 MWs in Northern Ireland and represents a total investment of approximately £170 million [c. €213 million]. This consolidates Gaelectric's position as the largest indigenous renewable energy company in Northern Ireland, and we are proud to make a significant contribution to Northern Ireland's renewable energy targets."
Mr McClughan adds: "It is important to Gaelectric that local communities close to the Monnaboy Wind Farm have the opportunity to share in the social and economic benefits of this renewable energy development. To ensure this happens in a tangible way we have launched the Monnaboy Community Benefit Fund which has the objective of supporting local community projects within the area. The Fund will be independently administered and managed on behalf of Gaelectric by the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland. It will provide grant support of between £500 and £5,000 to local community and voluntary groups which are delivering projects that support community cohesion in the area. Community projects will be able to access approximately £300,000 [c. €375,000] over the 25 year lifespan of the project."
In the last four years, Gaelectric has secured planning approval for nine Northern Ireland wind farm developments. The Company's first operational windfarm in Northern Ireland, the £20 million Carn Hill Wind Farm located in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim was officially opened in May 2013. The second project to be completed was the £58 million Dunbeg Wind Farm, located between Limavady and Coleraine, and was officially launched in November 2014. Gaelectric plans to commission its remaining Northern Ireland wind projects by March 2017.
Gaelectric is also leading the development of energy storage in Northern Ireland with a unique Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) facility near Larne in Co. Antrim. Due to its unique local geology, Larne has the potential to be at the cutting edge in the development of grid-level energy storage solutions that will have international application. Larne will be the second power station constructed in Europe with the capability to store energy as compressed air in caverns created within geological salt layers at depths of approximately 1,500 below ground. When completed, the new facility will be capable of generating 268 MW of electricity for periods of up 6 to 8 hours whilst also providing a range of other services that will assist system operators to improve the efficiency of the transmission grid, lowering costs and increasing the security of energy supplies in Northern Ireland.
