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Planning Permisson for Wind Farm....

  • 01-10-2010 8:19am
    #1
    Dazzler88
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 514 ✭✭✭


    Hey guys,I have around 30 acres of mountain land and I was thinking about seeking planning permisson for a Windfarm on it.Does anyone have any experience with this kind of thing?

    The land is 200m above sea level and the nearest house is 2 miles away.The windmills wouldnt be visible from any National/Local road.Also there is access to the land but its commonage mountain so im not sure how this access would work as a right of way.Im not sure of the wind speeds.

    Would you be able to give me some advice.


Comments

  • #2
    SirPeter
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 39 ✭SirPeter


    It doesn't sound as if you have a business plan for this or explored the idea very fully. Have you a business plan completed for this project?


  • #3
    Dazzler88
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 514 ✭✭✭Dazzler88


    SirPeter wrote: »
    It doesn't sound as if you have a business plan for this or explored the idea very fully. Have you a business plan completed for this project?
    why would I have a business plan for an idea that im not sure would even get planning permisson.If I was looking for business advice I would post in the Biz section.Im posting it here to get an idea of what is involved in getting planning for such a project...


  • #4
    quentingargan
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,627 ✭✭✭quentingargan


    I wouldn't get too cross at Sirpeter. Getting a windfarm underway is a pretty convoluted process. You will need three ducks all in a line to contruct a windfarm; Planning permission, a grid connection, and a power purchase agreement. Some people manage to get planning, which expires before they have a grid connection or power purchase agreement and this has given the process a bad name.

    In relation to planning, you will need an Environmental Impact Assessment, though this is less onerous procedures for projects less than 5 Mw. I don't know the ins and outs fully, but the first place to look is at the planning office. Many counties (including my home county of Cork) have a map with broad areas marked out where wind farms will be looked on favourably. If you are in such an area, it is worth looking closer at the procedures. There are specialist planners who work in this area. If you went to an IWEA or Meitheal na Gaoithe conference, you would meet all the companies working in this area.

    My understanding is that in broad terms it can cost about €250K to prepare a full planning application and apply for a grid connection.

    The grid connection application is also cheaper if you are proposing a smaller project. Last time I looked at this, it cost €30K just to ask Eirgrid if you can have a connection, and Eirgrid could say "thanks for the €30K, but no", or could say "yes, you can, but you will have to build power lines to a substation 20kw away, at your own expense". You may try and find out locally what sort of capacity is available on power lines and substations in your area. If the nearest grid connection is going to be about 20 miles away, that could end the discussions there and then, unless you have a site with exceptional wind speed.

    Unless you are a squillionnaire, anyone developing a project will have to persuade the banks to part with some money, and they usually want up to 3 years of wind speed trials, which involves putting a mast up and independent wind speed monitoring.

    If you get all the ducks in a line, you have a pretty valuable site which you can then either sell on to a wind farm developer, or develop yourself. If you think you have a suitable site, it is very well worth doing, and as I say, if I were you, I would head off to one of the conferences to get my finger on the current pulse. I would take heart from the fact that the site isn't visible from any major tourist routes. Good luck with your endeavours :)


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