Energy company seeking to connect Westmeath wind farm to Offaly substation

A company seeking permission to develop a wind farm in Westmeath connecting it to a 110kV substation in Tullamore has been given leave to apply directly for permission to An Bord Pleanala under the strategic infrastructure development strategy.

At a pre-application consultation meeting between representatives of the applicants Umma More Ltd., which is an associated company of Irish owned company Enerco Energy Ltd and An Bord Pleanala it was proposed to locate the 9 turbine wind farm 12 km northwest of Athlone. The windfarm will have a generating capacity of 40MW-60MW

The applicants are seeking to connect to the National Grid at 110kV Thornsberry substation in Tullamore by way of underground cabling which will run primarily within the public road corridor.

According to An Bord Pleanala records, a consultation meeting had been sought with Offaly County Council but up to the date of the consultation meeting on August 12 nothing had been arranged.

The Board's representatives queried the rationale to connect to the National Grid at Thornsberry, which ''requires a long grid connection to be developed.''

It was clarified that following discussions with Eirgrid, Thornsberry substation was the most viable connection.

The development will make use of the existing pedestrian underpass to cross the M6. The applicant stated that the underground cabling will be 1.2m deep and that end masts will not be required

The Board decided that the proposed development as described in the documents received by An Bord Pleanala on April 14 and June 21 falls within the scope of section 182A of the planning and development Act 2000, as amended, and that a planning application should be made directly to the board.