FuturEnergy Ireland Development Holdings DAC is owned on a 50:50 basis by ESB and Coillte. The company address is 27/28 Herbert Place, Dublin 2, D02 DC97. The company number is 683948. 

FuturEnergy Ireland is a new legal entity that now owns what was Coillte’s renewable energy division prior to November 2021. This business, including its experienced team, transferred across to this new independent entity on November 29, 2021. The FuturEnergy Ireland team includes over 30 members with extensive experience who develop and deliver renewable assets across Ireland. 

John O'Halloran and Liam Cleary are employed by FuturEnergy Ireland Development DAC as Community Liaison Officers for the Scart Mountain Wind Farm project.  

In August 2021, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published its Sixth Assessment Report which stated that major climate disruption is “widespread, rapid and intensifying”. This was described by the UN secretary general as “a code red for humanity”. One week later, the Environmental Protection Agency, Met Éireann and the Marine Institute published “The Status of Ireland’s Climate”. The report gave robust evidence that global climate change means Ireland will continue to get warmer and wetter.

Despite this, in June 2022, the EPA published “Ireland's Greenhouse Gas Emissions Projections 2021-2040”. This report concluded that Ireland is falling behind and risks not achieving its climate targets. It states that “urgent implementation of all climate plans and policies are needed for Ireland to meet the 51 per cent emissions reduction target and put Ireland on track for climate neutrality by 2050”.

It is clear that we must act now to stop the climate crisis or our planet will suffer irreversible damage. Wind energy is certainly not the only answer: we will need a range of renewable energy technologies working together alongside projects such as the proposed Scart Mountain Wind Farm. However, due to Ireland’s exceptional wind conditions, onshore wind energy is the most cost-effective way to quickly cut our carbon emissions and ensure a secure supply of energy for our homes, farms, businesses and communities.

In response to UN accords such as the Paris Agreement, and EU targets and legislation, the Irish Government aims to generate up to 80% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and ultimately to have a carbon neutral economy by 2050. This, combined with expected increases in demand for electricity, mean that we need to build twice as much renewable energy in the next 10 years as we did in the last two decades.

The Climate Action Plan 2023 suggests that up to 9 GW of onshore wind will be required to support the electricity system emissions targets, an increase from approximately 4.3 GW today. In addition, the offshore sector needs to target 7GW offshore wind and there needs to be 2 GW of green hydrogen gas production from renewables for Ireland to hit the critical 2030 generation requirements. In summary, it is not a question of whether Ireland needs onshore or offshore wind energy; both are required.

For onshore wind, delivering this target will be made easier by deploying the latest turbine technology with larger rotors, each producing much more renewable energy and at lower cost to consumers. This will allow the onshore wind energy target to be reached with fewer sites / fewer turbines.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in March 2022, gas prices in Europe have been extremely volatile. At its peak, gas was trading for 15-20 times historic normal levels in September 2022. Thankfully, wholesale prices have begun to level off in the second quarter of 2023. However, experts predict wholesale gas prices will remain high into 2024 given the market uncertainty and the continuing war in Europe. Ireland imports most of its gas requirements and is therefore extremely vulnerable to global gas price volatility. This reliance on expensive imported energy, and gas in particular, is having an unprecedented inflationary effect across our economy.

A central pillar of national and EU strategy is to ramp up our domestic renewable energy capacity, which will protect our economies and energy security within the bloc. FuturEnergy Ireland wants to support the Government and the people of Ireland by developing low-cost renewable energy projects to help reduce both our reliance on fossil fuel imports and our economies exposure to geopolitical events.  Accelerated deployment of renewable energy technologies will help reduce energy costs and improve energy security in Ireland.

FuturEnergy Ireland acknowledges that the latest County Development Plan 2022-2028 (CDP) does not favour granting planning permission for renewable energy projects across large sections of Co. Waterford, including Scart Mountain.  

Previously, the Scart Mountain area had been designated as “Open for Consideration”. There are several relevant factors influencing our decision to proceed with a planning application at this site, and at this time. These include: 

1. The energy crisis, which started as demand ramped up after the Covid-19 pandemic and has risen to truly unprecedented levels following the conflict in Ukraine.
2. The climate crisis and associated national energy and climate policy. 
3. Our preliminary studies indicate that this is a favorable location in which to develop a wind farm.
4. The proposed project is expected to be considered of strategic national importance. 

Each of these are explained further detail below. 

Energy security and cost crisis  

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in March 2022, gas prices in Europe have been extremely volatile. At its peak, gas was trading for 15-20 times historic normal levels in September 2022. Thankfully, wholesale prices have begun to level off in the second quarter of 2023. However, experts predict wholesale gas prices will remain high into 2024 given the market uncertainty and the continuing war in Europe. Ireland imports most of its gas requirements and is therefore extremely vulnerable to global gas price volatility. This reliance on expensive imported energy, and gas in particular, is having an unprecedented inflationary effect across our economy. 

A central pillar of national and EU strategy, to protect our economies and energy security within the bloc, is to ramp up our domestic renewable energy capacity. FuturEnergy Ireland wants to support the Government and the people of Ireland by developing low-cost renewable energy projects to help reduce both our reliance on fossil fuel imports and our economy’s exposure to geopolitical events. 

The climate crisis and national climate policy  

Scientists are continuing to highlight the need for urgent action on climate change, following a series of heatwaves, droughts, poor crop yields, wildfires and unprecedented floods, many of which have been linked to global warming. 

Significantly increasing the amount of onshore wind in Ireland is one of the pillars of Ireland’s climate action policy and remains critical to achieving our legally binding emissions reduction targets. The Climate Action Plan 2023 clearly sets out an objective to more than double onshore wind deployments from approximately 4,000 MW today to 9,000 MW. If we can increase the amount of renewable energy on the electricity system, this can also support decarbonisation of heat and transport, through the electrification of these sectors, by using battery electric vehicles and heat pumps. 

Accelerating the development of renewable energy projects such as Scart Mountain is vital to reduce carbon emissions and slow down the damage that is already beginning to devastate our planet and cost many lives. 

Our preliminary site suitability assessment 

From preliminary studies and investigations undertaken by the FuturEnergy Ireland team supported by third-party consultants, we have identified the proposed site for Scart Mountain Wind Farm as a favourable site for wind energy generation. 

Key points to note are: 

• We believe the site can be developed without any adverse impacts on protected environmental areas such as a Natura 2000 site, a Special Area of Conservation (SPC) or Special Protection Areas (SPA). 
• It is in an accessible location for connection to the National Electricity Grid via existing local substations. 
• Appropriate setback distances from houses can be achieved to align with Government guidance. 

• The pre-existing limited network of existing forestry and farm roads within the site can be upgraded and used for the wind farm. 
• Much of the existing land use on the site can co-exist with an operational wind farm, including forestry, agriculture and recreational activities. 
• Our initial technical studies confirm that a project can be developed within the Scart Mountain study area that satisfies all national guidance documents and international best practice relating to wind development.  

The site is expected to be a Strategic Infrastructure Development 

Under the Planning & Development Act (2000) as amended, any renewable project greater than 50 MW must be presented to An Bord Pleanála for determination as Strategic Infrastructure Development. If so determined, the planning application must be made directly to An Bord Pleanála when seeking planning permission. Wind energy projects that are deemed to meet the Strategic Infrastructure Development criteria are submitted under section 37 of the Act.  It is important to note that Section 37(e)(6) states: 

"The Board may decide to grant permission for development, or any part of a development, under this section even if the proposed development, or part thereof, contravenes materially the development plan relating to any area in which it is proposed to situate the development." 

There is clearly established due process in relation to planning applications that are submitted in contravention of local County Development Plans (CDPs) that FuturEnergy Ireland as applicant, and all relevant decision-making authorities, are required to follow. 

As Ireland’s national independent planning body, An Bord Pleanála must consider CDPs when adjudicating on SID applications. County councils may make their own submissions in respect of these applications, but if An Bord Pleanála considers it appropriate to grant a project in contravention of a CDP it is legally entitled to do so. 

A person may question the validity of any such decision of An Bord Pleanála by way of an application for judicial review, under Order 84 of the Rules of the Superior Courts (S.I. No. 15 of 1986, as amended by S.I. No. 691 of 2011), in accordance with Section 50 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended. Practical information on the review mechanism can be accessed under the heading “Information on cases / Weekly lists” – Judicial Review of planning decisions, on An Bord Pleanála’s website www.pleanala.ie or on the Citizens Information Service website www.citizensinformation.ie. 

There is no guarantee that a planning application made under SID will be successful. However, we believe it is appropriate in the specific circumstances described above to submit an application in order to support national climate action policy and to help tackle our unprecedented energy security and energy price crisis.  

FuturEnergy Ireland commits to a transparent dialogue process between those most involved to share all relevant information and develop wind projects that benefit local communities. This is done primarily through dedicated Community Liaison Officers (CLOs) who will routinely call door to door (Covid-19 restrictions permitting) and deliver leaflets, newsletters and more detailed brochures with progress updates. This project website also contains the latest news and information.

We welcome your input and feedback –your CLOs for this project, John O’Halloran and Liam Cleary, are available by phone, via email or you can arrange a meeting with them. If you choose to make contact by phone and the number is not answered, be sure to leave a voicemail with your contact details and the CLO will call you back at a time that suits you best.

FuturEnergy Ireland’s approach to community engagement typically involves informal and highly interactive Community Engagement Clinics. These usually take place once the design has advanced and are held in a local hotel or community hall. At each session, there are information stands on specific topics such as visuals and noise with relevant experts available to respond to questions. This ensures one-to-one attention and answers to individual queries.

When these sessions were unable to run due to Covid-19 restrictions, we created Virtual Exhibitions on project websites and webinars that are easy to navigate and offer all the same information and the opportunity to get any queries answered. Given the success of Virtual Exhibitions and webinars during the Covid-19 pandemic, we will continue to use them as part of our future engagement processes.

There are two planning paths depending on the size of a wind farm project. If the wind farm will generate under 50 MW of electricity, we submit a planning application to the local county council. If the project is over 50 MW (the number of turbines will depend on the technology selection) it is deemed a Strategic Infrastructure Development (SID), which means we are obliged to apply directly to An Bord Pleanála. The local county council is still consulted as part of this process. It is likely that the proposed Scart Mountain Wind Farm will be deemed SID due to its potential electricity output.

All our planning applications are open for public review and comment. A pre-planning advert is placed in the local newspaper and notifications will be uploaded on to the dedicated project website. We also place site notices around the project area and inform everyone who has been in touch with the project team during the community engagement process.

When we apply for planning, a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report and planning details will be published either on the dedicated project website or on a separate planning website for An Bord Pleanála applications.

If you wish to make a submission, comment or lodge an objection, you can do so on the planning authority’s website. The period in which to do this is five weeks for a county council and six weeks for An Bord Pleanála. Each authority has a different fee for processing a submission, comment or objection.

If you would like to be notified when a planning application is going to be submitted, please contact your local Community Liaison Officers and they will be sure to let you know.

A wind turbine generates two kinds of noise: aerodynamic noise created when the turbine blades pass through the air; and a mechanical noise caused by the generator in the turbine’s nacelle (the large box at the top of the turbine behind the rotors). Every effort is made by FuturEnergy Ireland as the developer, and by turbine manufacturers, to minimise the amount of noise a wind farm generates, and at all times to operate within noise limits prescribed by the relevant authorities.

When planning a wind farm, extensive studies are carried out to identify the best location for each individual turbine to ensure any potential disruption for local residents is eliminated or kept to an absolute minimum. In general, Ireland’s Wind Energy Guidelines specify noise limits at neighbouring properties that are set between 35 and 45 dB(A) depending on the time of day and the level of background noise. To put this in context, your kitchen fridge typically generates a sound level of around 40-43 decibels.

While the existing 2006 Wind Energy Guidelines state that “in general, noise is unlikely to be a significant problem where the distance from the nearest turbine to any noise sensitive property is more than 500 metres”, FuturEnergy Ireland has committed to operating well above this benchmark. We have adopted a minimum setback standard of at least 700 metres from neighbouring properties to try to remove the risk of any potential noise nuisance. This is helped by the nature of the Coillte estate, which acts as an important starting point for the vast majority of our early stage screening initiatives.

In December 2019, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government published Draft Revised Wind Energy Development Guidelines that proposed much stricter limits for noise detectable at dwellings adjacent to wind energy developments. A public consultation commenced and the Government is expected to publish revised Wind Energy Development Guidelines once this process has concluded. This is included as a key target in the current Programme for Government.

If you would like to know more about the levels of noise generated by wind turbines, we are happy to arrange a visit to one of our operating wind farms and / or to talk with an acoustics specialist.

Please cross-refer also to Q10 relating to health matters, and Q29 and Q30, which expand on best practice guidelines in relation to noise.

Without appropriate control systems, shadow flicker can occur at certain times of the day, typically when the sun is low in the sky. At these times, the movement of blades can periodically cast momentary shadows through the windows of a home that cause the light to appear to flicker.

Modern turbine technology allows for constant monitoring of the conditions that cause shadow flicker to occur and can therefore control the operation of the turbine to reduce or eliminate any impact. The 2019 Draft Revised Wind Energy Development Guidelines propose that future projects should be conditioned to prohibit any shadow flicker from occurring.

In practice, if the turbine blades are spinning quite rapidly, it can take one or two minutes for the wind turbine control system to safely shut it down but it is certainly possible to reduce any shadow flicker to negligible levels.

At FuturEnergy Ireland, we are committed to ensuring that we operate our wind farms and carry out our work to the highest possible health and safety standards. We are conscious that in recent years opponents of renewable energy have portrayed wind turbines as a risk to public health, citing low frequency noise and infrasound, despite there being no credible evidence to support such claims.

Infrasound receives a lot of media attention, in particular on social media platforms. In relation to wind turbines, it is important to note that infrasound is best described as sound that occurs at a frequency (pitch) that is too low to be audible to the human ear at typical sound pressure levels. Infrasound is all around us all the time and it can be measured.

In November 2016 the State Office for the Environment, Measurement and Nature Conservation of the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, published a report on infrasound levels generated by wind turbines, traffic and household appliances. Researchers measured infrasound levels at distances of between 150 metres and 700 metres from six individual wind turbines when the turbines were switched on and when they were switched off. The infrasound levels they detected at a distance from the turbine of between 650 metres and 700 metres were the same whether the turbine was on or not. Among their conclusions they found:

• The levels of infrasound from road traffic are significantly higher than close to wind turbines;
• The highest level of infrasound recorded in the project was inside a car travelling at 130km/h;
• Infrasound generated by washing machines, heating systems in residential buildings and fridges were comparable to that of a wind farm. In fact, during the spin cycle, the washing machine generated more infrasound than any of the wind turbines even at distances of 150 metres; and
• Infrasound levels from sea surf were generally higher than that from wind turbines at a distance of 25 metres and comparable at a distance of 250 metres.

This has since been further corroborated by a study from Finland published in June 2020. The Finnish research team found no evidence that infrasound nor low-frequency sound caused any adverse impacts on humans. The study also found that infrasound levels in rural areas with wind power parks were about the same as levels in a regular urban environment. The researchers measured infrasound levels from 17 wind turbines in two wind farms over more than 300 days in what is believed to be the most long-term study of infrasound ever carried out.

In 2018, the World Health Organisation assessed the environmental noise guidelines for a range of noise sources including traffic, aircraft, trains, leisure activities and wind turbines. This report stated that evidence of any negative health impacts due to wind turbine noise was either absent or of low / very low quality. It also noted that “effects related to attitudes towards wind turbines are hard to discern from those related to noise and may be partly responsible for the associations (Knopper & Ollson, 2011)”.

In addition, the HSE published a report in 2017 entitled “Position Paper on Wind Turbines and Public Health”. This report states: “There is no direct evidence that exposure to wind farm noise affects physical or mental health.”

There is also no credible evidence from scientific research that there is any link between wind turbines and people nearby developing autism spectrum disorders or having existing symptoms of an autism spectrum disorder made worse. When asked to contribute to research on this subject in 2016, the British National Autism Society stated: “There is no evidence whatsoever that visibility or noise from wind turbines causes autistic spectrum disorders in previously undiagnosed individuals, or that visibility or noise from wind turbines exacerbates the symptoms of autistic spectrum disorders in most people already diagnosed with the condition.”

In summary, to date there are no credible studies that provide evidence of any direct adverse effects on the general health of residents in the vicinity of wind farms (see below for a cross-section of research links). It is important to remember that anything which creates stress and anxiety can affect our physical and mental health. This is why we strive to give as much information as possible to alleviate concerns and provide reassurance about our projects.

Appendix 1: Health study references

Environmental Noise Guidelines for the European Region. World Health Organisation, 2018, pages 77-78.

Position Paper on Wind Turbines and Public Health. HSE Public Health Medicine Environment and Health Group, Feb 2017.

Low Frequency Noise Including Infrasound from Wind Turbines and Other Sources. the State Office for the Environment, Measurement and Nature Conservation of the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg, Nov 2016.

Health effects of wind turbines on humans in residential settings. Alice Freiberg, Christiane Schefter, Maria Girbg, Vanise C Murta, Andreas Seidler. Environmental Research, Vol 169, Feb 2019.

The Potential Health Impact of Wind Turbines. Chief Medical Officer of Ontario report, May 2010.

Evidence on Wind Farms and Human Health. National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. February 2015.

Common Concerns About Wind Power. Centre for Sustainable Energy, June 2017.

Infrasound does not explain symptoms related to wind turbines. Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT), June 2020.

No independent national property study has been undertaken in Ireland that can answer this question definitively. The closest comparable report in Ireland is a study published by Eirgrid in 2016 during the construction of pylons (High Voltage Overhead Transmission Lines) across the country.

The survey was carried out across a selection of estate agents in Ireland, based on a range of infrastructure projects (pylons, landfill, wind farms etc). It revealed that there is a 3% to 6% decrease in residential property prices in an area “in close proximity” to a wind farm particularly during construction. This compared to 20% in close proximity to a high voltage pylon or 25% close to a landfill site. Significantly, estate agents noted that this price drop tends to be temporary in nature and levels off once the infrastructure in question is operational, when prices revert back to the prevailing market conditions.

Research carried out for a UK study by the London School of Economics published in 2015 highlights similar negative impacts of a 3%-6% decrease on property value within 2km, but specifically within visibility of a wind farm development. These findings were contradicted by a more recent, updated study carried out by The Centre for Sustainable Energy (2^nd edition), stating that the aforementioned 2015 study “lacks adequate detailed analysis of pre-planning data versus post-operation phase and therefore ….introduces confounding factors”. It further states “the experience of operating wind farms is that long-term effects are generally neutral or even slightly positive”.

It is also important to point out that there are no comparable community benefit funds in place in the UK. Community benefit funds specific to renewable energy projects in the UK are not mandatory by law and it remains at the developer’s discretion as to how much is paid into them.

By comparison, the Irish Government’s Renewable Electricity Support Scheme is mandatory, requiring all participants to pay €2/MWh into a fund. To put this in context for the Scart Mountain project, approximately €500,000 will be paid per annum for 15 years. In addition, a further €1/MWh will be paid by FuturEnergy Ireland into the fund for the remaining lifetime of the wind farm, which equates to a further €250,000 pa. Overall, assuming the project succeeds in securing planning permission and is built as designed, an estimated €11 million will be given to the local community.

In relation to the specific issue of local residential property values, Government guidelines include, and indeed encourage, the roll-out of an energy efficiency scheme. Depending on the Fund Committee’s decision, this could, for example, take the form of a deep retrofit scheme for occupied residential properties within the 2-3km area of benefit over the first 5 years, improving the Building Energy Rating (BER) to an A or a B rating. This type of innovative use of the fund would have the direct result of increasing the value of local housing stock.

Strategic use of funds for the greater good of the community, in conjunction with the annual Near Neighbour payments, can serve to strengthen the attractiveness of an area to live in.

Based on our assessments, we have not identified any peer-reviewed evidence in Ireland that indicates wind farms lower or impact property prices. In other parts of the world, the vast majority of studies indicate that there is no evidence to support the claim that a wind farm has any long-term negative impact on local property prices.

We have included below further information and references in relation to wind farm developments abroad and assessment of impacts on property values.

Overview of international peer-reviewed studies assessing impacts of wind farm developments on property values

While the majority of international studies have found no evidence that wind farms have a negative impact on property prices, there is research that contradicts this, which is also discussed below.

The most recent and relevant study on this subject, Common Concerns about Wind Power (2^nd Edition), published by the Centre for Sustainable Energy in the UK in 2017,  found that despite local concerns that wind turbines will lead to a decrease in property prices nearby, an increasingly large body of evidence from several large-scale British and American studies shows that this is not the case.

In many cases, analysis has revealed that an ‘anticipation stigma’ often leads to a short-term drop in property values close to proposed wind farms, but prices quickly recover following construction and operation, and may even outperform regional averages. The researchers also note that “mistaken preconceptions by estate agents add to residents’ own worries, and it is not surprising that this can translate into a temporary dip in house prices at a time when the real impact of a such a development can only be imagined”.

There is also some evidence that whether a wind farm has an impact on property prices depends on the specific context of the individual wind farm. The first large-scale studies on house prices were carried out in the United States by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Their first report, published in 2009, examined almost 7,500 house sales from 1996 to 2008 across nine different US states. The homes were all located within 10 miles of 24 different wind farms. It found no evidence of any statistically significant effect on house prices.

A second study, published in 2013, looked at more than 51,000 house sales within 10 miles of 67 different wind farms in nine US states. Just over a thousand of these sales took place within one mile of a wind farm. Again, the study found no evidence that wind farms reduce property prices. In 2014 the Berkeley group, with other researchers, examined 122,198 house sales in the US state of Massachusetts between 1998 and 2012. They looked at homes sold within five miles of 41 existing or planned wind turbines and again found no evidence that the turbines affected property prices.

In Britain, a major piece of research was published by Renewable UK and the Centre for Economics and Business Research that looked at more than a million house sales from 1995 to 2013 and compared the 82,000 sales which took place within five kilometres of a wind farm with the others. It found no indication that the presence of a wind farm had any affect on house prices.

While the majority of studies indicate there is no impact on property prices from wind farms, a number of studies reached other conclusions. As mentioned previously, in April 2014, the London School of Economics (LSE) Spatial Economic Research Centre published a report based on 125,000 house sales in England and Wales between 2000 and 2012. The study found an average reduction in the value of the house of between 5 and 6 per cent within 2 km of very large wind farms.

This study contradicts the findings from Renewable UK and the Centre for Economic and Business Research which prompted further research that was published in Scotland in 2016. This, again, found no evidence of a negative impact from wind turbines on house prices and suggests that “generally speaking the effect is either positive…or not distinguishable from zero”.

The authors try to explain why research carried out in Scotland found a very different result to that carried out by the LSE study in England even though the approach was very similar to that used in the LSE study.

The authors suggest a number of possibilities including:

• Attitudes towards wind farms may be different in Scotland than in other parts of the UK.
• In Scotland, a much higher proportion of turbines are likely to be located on moors and mountains and in more remote areas than in England and Wales.
• Some wind farms, especially in Scotland, enhance the local area by providing tracks for walkers, cyclists, horse riders and other members of the community, as well as substantial community benefit funds.

Other research suggests the context in which a wind farm is developed is important. A study published in 2017 looked at the impact of a specific wind farm on Wolfe Island in Canada.  This is a unique location for a wind farm as the island is on the Canadian side of the St Lawrence River, directly across from the community of Cape Vincent in the state of New York. The research found that the wind farm had no effect on house prices on the Canadian side, including the island where the wind farm was built, but there was a substantial impact on the value of properties on the American side of the river even though these were further away from the wind farm.

The researchers suggest several explanations for this: First, as with the Scottish model, the attitude people have to wind farms might be a factor pointing to evidence of greater support for wind energy among those living on the Canadian side of the border.

Second, many of the properties on the American side were holidays homes, which meant that the view was possibly a larger factor in the value of the property than it was on the Canadian side.

Third, and possibly most important, since the wind farm was built on the Canadian side of the border the developer only engaged with people living on that side and only the township on the Canadian side received any community benefit investment. There was no effort to discuss the project or provide benefits to anyone on the American side of the border.

Some reasonable conclusions can be drawn from this analysis of available research.

• The bulk of international research over the past 15 to 25 years shows that there is no long-term impact on property values from the development of wind energy projects.
• While there is some research to indicate that there have been negative effects in certain limited and specific circumstances, experts suggest that the reasons for these may be related to public attitudes to wind energy, the specific location, the quality of community engagement and whether community benefit payments are made.
• It is also helpful if there are clear gains for local people, not just in community funding, but in developing recreational facilities as in the Scottish study and visible in Ireland at Mount Lucas and at the Galway Wind Park.

One of the key features of the Government’s Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) is that all successful project applicants are required to set up a Community Benefit Fund that focuses on sharing the economic benefits of a wind farm with the local community. The scheme also puts the local community at the heart of decision-making. They will decide their own priorities and where they want to see the funding invested.

The exact fund amount differs from project to project, but it will be a significant financial package that benefits a host community for many years. The calculation of the total fund for any one project depends on the number of turbines and the total production of electricity in any given year. In essence, the Government has mandated that the developer must contribute €2/MWh per year.  If the Scart Mountain Wind Farm is consented and constructed based on the current draft design it is estimated that the project could contribute a minimum of €500,000 annually to the Community Benefit Fund during the first 15 years of operation. For the remaining lifetime of the wind farm, FuturEnergy Ireland commits to contributing a further €1/MWh per year equating to an additional €250,000 per year towards the Community Benefit Fund. Therefore, over the expected 30-year lifetime of the wind farm, the Community Benefit Fund will be in the order of €11 million.

According to the Department of Environment, Climate & Communication, the goal is to support local projects in the areas of energy efficiency, climate change initiatives, environmental stability and near-neighbour payments. There is also funding available for community and sports-themed activities in recreation, health and wellbeing, culture, heritage and tourism. One particular focus is to support local initiatives that align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Examples of these types of projects include home and community hall retrofits, pollinator farms, cycling paths, educational materials and scholarships.

In July 2021, the Department of Environment, Climate and Communication published the “Good Practice Principles Handbook for Community Benefit Funds”, which sets out how the funds should be operated and administered.

Enabling better and broader opportunities to invest in wind farm infrastructure is a focus area for the wind industry and the Department of Environment, Climate & Communication. This principle featured in the initial design of the RESS1 scheme in 2019/20 and in the initial consultation regarding RESS2, conducted in summer 2021.

A number of policy measures are required to enable such a step, including how investments could be sized and priced, correctly offered and marketed to the public, and administered during the project life cycle.

We are committed to being a leader in the onshore wind sector, and therefore we will look to assume a leadership position in facilitating investment opportunities for the public in our projects when the Government has put in place the policies and regulations that enable this to happen.

Tobin Consulting Engineers is the appointed Environmental Impact Assessment consultant for this project. Stage 1 screening is underway.

The report to inform the screening for appropriate assessment for the project will not be completed until after the final design freeze and will be published along with the other planning documentation when the project submits its application.

As above. The project is in the process of carrying out environmental surveys and these are underway. A comprehensive range of environmental surveys will be undertaken in and around the site of the proposed wind farm. When they become available, we will share final versions that have been checked by specialists.

Not at this time. As stated previously, the planning application and all associated documents will be made available when complete. It is anticipated that this will be in Q4 2023.  

No decision has been made at this stage in relation to the turbine specifications. For the purposes of the planning application, a number of candidate turbine models will be assessed. The final turbine selection will typically follow a procurement process that can only start after a planning permission has been granted and a grid connection application has been made.

However, we will communicate preferred dimension ranges (for example blade tip heights) in the final brochure and during the community clinic in Q4 2023. 

A preliminary layout was shared with stakeholders in newsletters 2 & 3. It is important to note however, the layout is indicative only and will be subject to change as the various Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies progress.

There are on average three design iterations. There can often be material changes between the first and second iterations. Typically, the third iteration is generally confirmatory (i.e. limited changes from the second iteration), but this is not always the case. We commit to keeping the community updated in relation to any changes as the design and assessment process progresses.

Baseline noise monitoring has been completed. This involved monitoring the existing background noise levels in the areas surrounding the project site.

A number of specialised microphone recording devices were deployed at locations around the study site, usually close to residential properties. The data gathered at carefully selected locations will be used to build up a representative picture of the current noise environment.

The survey forms part of the EIA studies carried out by the project consultants. This data will then be used to produce the preliminary noise models that will inform the noise contour maps. These maps will be included in the final planning application submission which will be publicly available on An Bord Pleanala's website.

This detail is currently being worked on. Detailed road designs can only be prepared when the turbine locations are relatively certain otherwise there would be a high likelihood of needing to re-do design work unnecessarily. This information will be included in the detailed brochure due out in Autumn 2023.

The construction phase typically takes between 18 and 24 months. The wind farm’s operational phase is anticipated to be 30 to 35 years.
For full details of the wind farm development cycle, please refer to the FuturEnergy Ireland brochure “Our Approach to Project Development” or the Project Cycle section on www.scartmountainwindfarm.ie.

This information is not yet available as the project remains in the early stages of development. However, the details will be included in the final EIAR, which will be available to view online when the final planning application is submitted.

It is anticipated that we will require a 110kV tail-fed substation located within the wind farm study area with a 110kV underground cable being used to connect to a suitable local transmission node or line. More details on this will be shared with the community as they become available.

It is important to note that grid connection methods cannot be finally confirmed until a project makes a grid connection application. The current grid connection process requires a planning grant for the wind farm before an application can be made.

This is a complex technical engineering question and as such we would be happy to organise a meeting with one of our technical experts to go through this in more detail. A short-form reply is that EirGrid, as our transmission system operator, applies system operational constraints to prevent any negative impacts on system operation associated with the project. 

During the construction phase it is expected that up to 100 temporary jobs will be created. When the wind farm is operational, there will be 3 to 4 permanent full-time jobs, which will be primarily technical positions in addition to general maintenance. 

The Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) will be produced by a team of experienced and competent experts. The detailed assessment will adhere to the latest guidance and legislative requirements.

For each of the EIAR chapters, a robust and detailed assessment will be carried out which will be based on a set of field and desk study data. An example of the type of topics covered are as follows:

Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Project Description
Chapter 3 Alternative Considered
Chapter 4 Population and Human Health
Chapter 5 Terrestrial Ecology
Chapter 6 Aquatic Ecology
Chapter 7 Ornithology
Chapter 8 Hydrology and Water Quality
Chapter 9 Soil and Geology
Chapter 10 Air and Climate
Chapter 11 Noise and Vibration
Chapter 12 Landscape and Visual Amenity
Chapter 13 Material Assets
Chapter 14 Cultural Heritage
Chapter 15 Traffic and Transportation
Chapter 16 Major Accidents & Natural Disasters

Note that the full EIAR will become available to download from the project’s dedicated planning website once the final planning application has been submitted.

In the interim, progress updates on the assessment will be shared in newsletters, and at the project’s information webinar and community clinic.

A Zone of Theoretical Visibility (ZTV) map is a tool used in the development of wind farms. It shows the areas around a proposed wind farm where the turbines would be visible from the ground. This information is used to evaluate its potential visual impact on the surrounding area. A ZTV map is typically created using specialised software that takes into account the topography of the land and other factors. It is an important part of the wind farm development process because it helps project developers and stakeholders to understand and plan for the visual impact of the wind farm. 

ZTV images are normally prepared and made available to community members as part of the pre-planning engagement process, which is usually in the detailed brochure and in the community clinic.

As part of the planning application documentation, there will be a large set of realistic photomontages produced from various aspects surrounding the site. In addition, there will be preliminary versions of these photomontages available for public viewing at the community clinic prior to the planning application being made.

The Irish Wind Energy Development Guidelines (WEDGs) are used to set the appropriate criteria for wind turbine noise: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/f449e-wind-energy-development-guidelines-2006/.

The noise assessment for this site will be undertaken by AWN Consulting. The assessment methodology is undertaken in accordance with the following guidance contained in ‘A Good Practice Guide to the Application of ETSU-R-97 For the Assessment and Rating of Wind Turbine Noise’ and supplementary Guidance Notes published by the Institute of Acoustics: https://www.ioa.org.uk/publications/wind-turbine-noise.

While the existing 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines (WEDGs) state that “in general, noise is unlikely to be a significant problem where the distance from the nearest turbine to any noise sensitive property is more than 500 metres”, FuturEnergy Ireland has committed to operating well above this benchmark. We have adopted a minimum setback standard of 750 metres from neighbouring properties for this project in order to minimise the risk of any potential noise nuisance.

Regardless of setback distance, the project is also required to comply with any specific noise condition that the relevant planning authority includes in a potential planning grant. 

 See also Q8 of this Fact File, specifically the detailed response on noise standards, and Q31, which expands on the Wind Energy Guidelines.  

The guidelines published in 2019 have not yet been finalised due to significant issues raised during the consultation phase. In particular, a group of expert noise consultants representing both wind farm developers and wind farm opposition groups advised the Department of Housing and Local Government (DHLG) that the document contained “technical errors, ambiguities and inconsistencies”. They flagged the following as critical areas that required further consideration:

• • Baseline noise assessment;
  • Consideration of World Health Organisation guidelines;
  • Application of noise limits;
  • Cumulative assessment;
  • Planning conditions and the way these should account for cumulative effects;
  • Corrections to account for noise character; and
  • Compliance monitoring.

FuturEnergy Ireland shares this view and would go further and say that certain interpretations of these guidelines would have the potential to result in inappropriately high limits being applied. In other words, they would actually cause excessive noise at certain wind speeds and certain times of the day. The extent of the issues identified is such as to render them practically unimplementable. It is important to note that no wind farm developer wants to create genuine noise issues for project near neighbours and as such it is as much in developers' interests as those of local communities to have robust guidance in place in relation to noise.

The recently published Climate Action Plan 2023 states that the updated Wind Energy Guidelines (WEGs) will be published in 2024 by the Department of Housing and Local Government. In the interim, FuturEnergy Ireland will endeavour to include implementable measures from the draft 2019 guidelines.

In particular, FuturEnergy Ireland recognises that turbine technologies have changed considerably since 2006 when the last guidelines were adopted.  As such, it is our view that the setback distance of 500 metres proposed in 2006 would not be appropriate for modern turbine technology dimensions. We are therefore proposing to apply a setback distance on this site of 740 metres or 4 times the turbine tip height, whichever is greater.  This would meet or exceed the proposed minimum setback distances in the 2019 draft guidelines and far exceed existing guidance requirements. When the new guidelines are finalised and published, the wind farm design will be adopted where necessary in order to fully comply with the new standard.

The good practice assessment methodology, or ETSU-R-97, has been in use and kept under review by the Institute of Acoustics for over 26 years. This methodology was supplemented by the publication of  'A good practice guide to the application of ETSU-R-97 for the assessment and rating of wind turbine noise' in 2013 following many years of use.

It is noted in the preface section of this document that this good practice guide will also be kept under review. This methodology has the benefit of being tried and tested for many years with input from a broad professional body representing acousticians and taking learnings from real world projects.  As such, we believe that in the absence of new, appropriate and implementable guidance, it is appropriate to continue to work with existing best practice guidance and methodologies that are tried and tested.

In this context, it is important to note that while turbine technologies have changed over time, the physics of noise has not.  That is to say, a decibel noise limit has precisely the same meaning whether it is applied to an old technology or a new technology.