SSE welcome positive planning decision for north Mayo wind farm

Renewable energy partners SSE Renewables and FuturEnergy Ireland have welcomed a decision by An Bord Pleanála to grant planning permission for the development of Sheskin South Wind Farm in north Mayo.

The onshore wind development, which has received consent for 18 turbines with a maximum tip height of 200 metres, is located approximately 6.7 km northeast of Bangor Erris and 11 km south of Ballycastle.

Tom Coleman, Development Project Manager for SSE Renewables, welcomed the development but added that action was needed to upgrade the grid in the area.

“We welcome the decision made by An Bord Pleanála to grant consent for Sheskin South Wind Farm. Delivery of this project will not only boost Ireland’s energy independence and provide cheaper, cleaner, more secure, homegrown electricity it will be crucial to achieving Ireland’s net zero targets, deliver clear economic benefits, through jobs and supply chain opportunities, whilst the associated community benefit fund will have a direct impact on the local community.

“To deliver on the ambition of the project, we need to see more action on grid investment in the north-west. We will continue to work with the Government and EirGrid to address grid challenges in the region. We also look forward to working with the local community and our co-development partners FuturEnergy Ireland to take the project to the next stage.”

Mary Lynch, Portfolio Director at FuturEnergy Ireland, said: “We warmly welcome this positive planning decision by An Bord Pleanála, which allows Sheskin South Wind Farm to progress into the next exciting phase of its development. Together with our co-development partner on the project, SSE Renewables, we are looking forward to advancing the project into its commercialisation stage where the project and its supply chain will start to take shape. It is a significant project of scale, which will make a very positive and lasting contribution to the local economy in Co Mayo.

“The delivery of the Sheskin South project will contribute significantly to FuturEnergy Ireland’s ambition to develop 1GW of wind energy projects by 2030, and in doing so support Ireland’s climate targets, strengthen our energy security, and reduce electricity bills for all.”

During construction, Sheskin South Wind Farm will generate approximately 100 to 120 jobs along with significant supply chain opportunities for the area. The project partners stated they are also committed to delivering a Community Benefit Fund which will deliver hundreds of thousands of euro annually to the local community. The Fund will be established when the wind farm enters commercial operation, and will support local community groups and projects.

Sheskin South Wind Farm is a 50:50 co-development between SSE Renewables and FuturEnergy Ireland and the progression of the project is dependent on a final investment decision. A proposed grid connection planning application, in addition to a turbine delivery route application, is scheduled to be submitted later this year.

The project adds to the co-development partners’ pipeline of projects, which includes the seven turbine, 30MW Lenalea Wind Farm which reached full power and connected to the national grid in late 2023, with plans for the proposed 12 turbine, 60MW Drumnahough Wind Farm at an advanced stage. Both projects are located in Co Donegal.