Currane Wind Farm

The story so far
A wind farm for Currane?

During the autumn of 2004 Muintir a’Chorráin, the Currane Local Development company, was approached by a developer with an idea for building a wind farm in Currane.

The initial suggestion is to place 15 turbines in an area on the southern side of the Currane Peninsula stretching from Lough Ard to “Three Rivers”. The turbines would be rated at 3MW (mega watt) with a hub height of 65 metres and blade length of 45 metres. Transmission lines will run as far as Newport, where a grid connection can be made. The community, through Muintir a’Chorráin, will have a say in where the turbines are to be positioned. No detailed plan or proposal had been formulated as the developer does not wish to proceed with the project without the backing of the community. In return for this backing, the developer has offered:

• an annual payment of €500,000 (into a trust fund or similar) for the benefit of the community;
• to bring a broadband telecommunications line into the village;
• the opportunity for individuals to invest in the project.

First steps

Having discussed the proposal and feeling that the idea had merit, the Board of Muintir a’Chorráin arranged an open meeting to guage reaction of the community. At this meeting it was clear that the people of Currane were interested in hearing more, so an Open Day was arranged for 27th December 2004. The basic idea for the development was detailed in a series of photographs, maps, texts and an animation. These gave an impression of what the wind farm could look like and explained the principles and technologies involved. Several independent experts were on hand to answer general questions about wind farms.

Following the Open Day, and having given the community some time to consider what they had seen, another open meeting was arranged for 19th February at which the community was asked to raise questions and concerns relating to the development. These, along with several others raised prior to the meeting, are listed below. The Board of Muintir a’Chorráin has passed these questions and concerns to the developer and has arranged a further open meeting to hear the answers. This meeting will take place on Saturday March 19th at 12.30pm in Glór na dTonn. It is hoped that the developer and a panel of experts will be on hand to answer any supplementary questions.
Questions raised by the Currane Community about the proposed wind farm development
To Muintir a’Chorráin:
1. Why should we accept only €500,000? Why not €700,000 or €1,000,000 per annum?
2. How will the wishes of the community be interpreted? For example vote, questionnaire or objectors make themselves known?
3. Will the proposed contribution have any positive or negative impact on the current grant structure in Currane?
4. Have other sources of renewable energies been examined?
To Wind Farm Developer:
1. Is there any guarantee that a financial benefit will accrue to the community? If so, will the financial benefit be fixed, index linked or performance based and how will the guarantee operate? E.g. will money be lodged in an escrow account for future years? Are there any conditions attached? If the financial benefits are performance based what are the methods of measurement?
2. Where would access to the wind farm be from?
3. How (if at all) will the people of Tonragee be involved or affected?
4. Will the transmission lines be over-ground?
5. How can the developer build on the Dickens Estate? Does he plan to purchase or lease the land?
6. Will farmers be compensated for loss of grants?
7. What will happen if the landowner refuses to allow use of the land at some stage in the future?
8. How will people’s bogs and water supplies be protected?
9. Can the number of turbines be limited by contract?
10. Why are the turbines spread out over such a large area? Can they be moved closer together?
11. Have the promoters drawn up a list of limitations and have they considered any possible negative impact on Currane and what might this may be?
12. How might the wind farm in Currane be different from other existing and proposed wind farms in Ireland? Would the proposed scheme in Currane have some competitive advantage over other existing or proposed wind farms?
13. What standards for development and construction would apply?
14. Is the development of the wind farm in Currane to be seen in purely commercial terms i.e. no part of the energy created will be used locally and all output will be sold to the National Grid at the most favourable price?
15. Is it proposed that the development be phased?
16. Will the promoters undertake the development without guaranteed sale of the energy?
17. What contingency plans are in place if the project is not successful? (e.g. dismantling or refinancing )
18. Is there more detailed information on who the promoters are, how they are financed and what levels of experience they have in the development of similar projects?
19. What is the exact structure of the proposed company? Would there be any consequence of sale of shares by the promoters to third parties during or after the construction phase? How will the desires of the community be reconciled with the desires of the shareholders? What guarantee (and mechanism) will there be to ensure that the community has a say in the future behaviour of the company?
20. What percentage of the development cost will accrue to local contractors and labourers during construction? What will the ongoing employment prospects be after the construction phase?