Application for €100 million wind farm due to be lodged shortly

Energia has confirmed that a planning application for the proposed €100 million Seven Hills wind farm in South Roscommon is due to be submitted in the first quarter of this year.

The plans from Energia and Galetech Energy Developments now comprise up to 20 turbines, one fewer than originally proposed, with seven clustered close to Dysart and 13 nearer Taughmaconnell.

Initially, a planning application was expected to be lodged to An Bord Pleanála in autumn and then by the end of the year, but neither timeline materialised.

Back in July of last year, a final layout for the massive wind farm was published online hot on the heels of the news that the project has been judged a Strategic Infrastructure Development (SID) - meaning that developers could bypass the council and submit plans directly to An Bord Pleanála for decision.

The proposed wind farm, which has met strong local opposition to date, is expected to have a typical output of up to 6MW per turbine and to be capable of generating enough green energy to power nearly 85,000 Irish homes, the company says. The turbines will have a ground to tip height of up to 180 metres.

Among the townlands earmarked for the giant turbines include Gortaphuill and Cronin in the Dysart area, while the map shows they will also come close to Boleyduff, Cloonacaltry and Skyvalley in Taughmaconnell.

The company carried out a series of community consultation events during the summer with local residents by appointment in-person and online.