Project Updates

Project Updates

Bord na Móna is pleased to announce the opening of a new Community Benefit Fund for communities near to Cloncreen Wind Farm. The Fund will distribute €150,000 to community and voluntary groups, non-profit groups, clubs and societies, or organisations with a charitable status which aim to deliver community good and services within 10km of the Wind Farm.

The Fund has been established to recognise the key role of local communities in developing new sources of renewable energy. It will cumulatively distribute €2.25 million to the area over the next 15 years as part of a broader package of local development supports being delivered in the area by Bord na Móna.

The fund will be administered by M-CO, an independent strategic design and project management company who specialise in the areas of climate action and community development.

 

To find out more, click here

Congratulations to Clonbullogue Development Planning Group who officially launched their Community Action Plan in March 2022.

The Community Action Plan was supported by Cloncreen Wind Farm and developed in conjunction with Offaly Local Development Company.  It is envisaged that this plan will aid the Community in identifying potential community projects to bring forward for funding as part of Cloncreen Wind Farm’s Community Benefit Fund once the wind farm enters commercial operation.

We look forward to supporting the community and the various projects identified in the Community Plan over the coming years.

Well done to everyone involved!

Click here to view the report

For an update on the progress of the Cloncreen Wind Farm, please download the Project Newsletter here.

For an update on the progress of the Cloncreen Wind Farm, please download the Project Newsletter here.

The Clonbullogue Community Amenity Group represents all of the community, voluntary and sporting groups in the area. The aim of the group is to develop a Community Action Plan that will support the enhancement of community life in Clonbullogue.  Over the next few weeks, a community survey will be sent to every house in the area.

To learn more about the survey, please click here. Development of this Community Action Plan is supported and funded by Bord na Móna, the Cloncreen Wind Farm project and Offaly Local Development Company Ltd.

Following a competitive international tender process, Bord na Móna has awarded the turbine contract for the 75MW Cloncreen Wind Farm to Vestas. The contract includes supply, installation and commissioning of 21 V136-3.45 MW wind turbines in 3.6 MW operating mode in combination with a 20-year Active Output Management 5000 (AOM 5000) service agreement, maximising power production while at the same time offering competitive levelised cost of energy.

Once commissioned, Cloncreen will be the largest Vestas wind park in Ireland to date.

The development of Cloncreen Wind Farm involves an investment by Bord na Móna of over €100m in low carbon electricity generation infrastructure in Co. Offaly. The project will make a significant contribution to the achievement of Ireland’s 70% renewable electricity target by 2030. It is one of the largest projects to clear in the recent RESS auction and we intend to see it as the first operational wind farm under the scheme. The supply installation and commissioning of the 21 V136-3.45 MW Vestas turbines will play a significant role in ensuring the successful delivery of this project. We very much look forward to working with Vestas over the coming months to deliver affordable, green energy, that enhances Ireland’s energy security”, says John Reilly, Head of Bord na Móna Renewable Energy.

“The Cloncreen project demonstrates the competitiveness of Vestas’s technology for the Irish market. We are proud to be part of Bord na Móna’s recent auction success, and we are excited to participate in Bord na Móna’s continued expansion of its wind energy project portfolio”, states Nils de Baar, President of Vestas Northern & Central Europe.

The project will feature a VestasOnline® Business SCADA solution, lowering turbine downtime and thus optimising the energy output.

Turbine delivery is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2022, while commissioning is planned for the fourth quarter of 2022.