Preparations continue on Moyvoughley windfarm proposal
An energy company working on plans for a wind farm development in the Moyvoughley area of Westmeath said it expects to issue an update on the project to local residents within the next month or two.
In recent years Cork-based company Enerco Energy has been carrying out preparatory work for a windfarm proposal described as the 'Ballynacorra Renewable Energy Development'.
The proposal, which has attracted strong opposition from some local residents, centres on the area between Moyvoughley and Drumraney, about 3km from the village of Ballymore.
When contacted recently by the Westmeath Independent, Enerco Energy representative James Crowley said it was planning to carry out public consultation locally in the coming weeks, before a possible submission of a planning application in a number of months' time.
"We hope in the next few weeks that we'll be in a position to call around to all properties within a certain distance of the proposed turbines with an update on our project," he said.
A website for the project, which was created last year, stated that it would consist of nine wind turbines, and Mr Crowley confirmed that this number had not changed.
It's thought that the name of the project may have changed since last year, and when he was asked about this the Enerco representative said he expected to have "an update" on the name in the coming weeks.
A wind monitoring mast was erected on behalf of Enerco Energy in Ballynacorra last year to help assess the site's suitability for a windfarm. In March of last year, part of the mast came down.
In late January of this year, a section of a wind mast in the area again fell to the ground. Mr Crowley said the company was aware of this incident and that it wasn't clear what had caused part of the mast to fall.
On a timeframe for the lodging of a planning application for the project, he said: "It would be in a matter of months, rather than years, but the public consultation would be ongoing for a period of time before there would be a planning application lodged.
"We like to call to people, have a chat with people, and if there are any questions people have I will answer them," he said.
Local councillor Vinny McCormack said people in the area were continuing to monitor the progress of the project, and he hoped measures contained in the Westmeath County Development plan would "protect against windfarms coming up in communities fairly near to houses and farms."