Wednesday, 16 February 2022
Strategic Power Projects has submitted a planning application for a solar PV development in Swordlestown, Co. Kildare.
The 125MW development will produce enough power to provide clean energy to 20,500 homes in the area adding to Kildare’s strong renewables credentials as set out in the Kildare County development plan.
The facility will represent a total investment by the company of around €100m. Delivering significant contributions to the local economy and community groups through the governments Renewable Energy Support Scheme (RESS) scheme.
Paul Carson, Managing Director, Strategic Power Projects said;
“We are extremely encouraged by the proposed site at Swordlestown. The deployment of solar farms in Ireland has the potential to increase energy security, contribute to our renewable energy targets and support economic growth and jobs.
“Developments such as the proposed project are not only essential to achieving renewable energy goals, but also to achieving the wider goal of decarbonising the economy in Ireland in line with the coalition governments Climate Action Plan.
“The community engagement we have carried out in Swordlestown, Co.Kildare to date has demonstrated significant enthusiasm for renewables initiatives. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the local community and harnessing their support to create an impactful renewable energy asset to move the country towards a carbon neutral economy.
Regarding the particular site at Swordlestown, Paul Carson continued;
“The site had been selected for a number of reasons. It benefits from high exposure to the sun which is crucial for efficient energy production.
“It is not high yielding agricultural land but can be maintained for animal grazing even with the development of the solar farm. The site is not located in or close to a protected ecological area, so it is well suited for a development of this nature.
“Furthermore, the team have ensured a sensitive design of the development to maximise the avoidance of potential environmental impacts and our ecological assessment concluded that the site will not have any direct or indirect adverse impacts to flora and fauna. Overall, the proposed landscaping and biodiversity measures will result in a positive impact for local biodiversity which is incredibly important to us.”
In October 2021, Strategic Power Projects announced their partnership with Gresham House, a specialist alternative asset manager to deliver a pipeline of renewable energy projects with new build solar and battery storage assets throughout Ireland.
The partnership is expected to have a combined capacity of well over 1GW across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. With site locations secured close to major electricity grid infrastructure hubs.