Coolmore Stud plan to develop Tipperary solar farm to power 25,000 households
Coolmore Stud in conjunction with Temporis Investment Management, specialists in the renewable energy and clean technology sector, have lodged a planning application with Tipperary County Council for the development of a solar farm at Killough, which is situated 8km south of Thurles in the county.
The development, which is known as Killough Solar, is proposed as a low-density farm and will cover 100 hectares (247 acres), or 40 per cent, of the Killough Castle holding, which it is believed was acquired by Coolmore last year.
In the planning application, it is claimed that the solar panels will generate enough electricity to power 25,000 households, saving 42,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, on existing energy sources.
The application has been prepared by Fehily, Timoney and Company, an Irish-based consultancy in solar farm and renewable energy developments.
Following several months of consultations with the local community, which included two public information sessions held in Killough Castle, an application for ten-year planning permission to develop the site and install 745,168 square metres of solar panels was lodged this month.
As part of the planning application, landscape management plans, glint and glare assessments and landscape and visual impact assessments have been submitted, with the report emphasising the developers' commitment to preserving and developing the biodiversity of the site.
In the plan, it is stated: "The land beneath the solar panels can continue to be used for agricultural practices such as pastureland for sheep or other livestock which can pass under the panels, as well as being used for crop cultivation and beekeeping.
"Using areas under solar panels for agriculture is a common practice to help maintain the areas and manage grassland. Killough Solar will provide for ecological restoration and measures to increase biodiversity across the site, compatible with certain agricultural uses in and around the solar panels."
To that end, the application includes provision for insect hotels on the solar farm which will be made from recyclable materials. In addition to those measures, the application outlines plans to install bat boxes, nesting boxes for barn owls and kestrels, perches for Kingfishers and bee nesting boxes.
The site of the farm will be surrounded by in excess of 50 hectares (123 acres) of woodland and a large, open quarry.
According to the information material: "The overall solar farm design includes discreet fencing, hedgerows and the planting of native tree and shrub species along the boundary of the solar farm.
"A team of landscape architects will design the native hedges to screen the fence from outside the site, so the fence, when constructed, should not be visible from outside the site."
The timeline for constructing the farm is expected to be in the region of 18 months, and between 80 and 110 jobs are expected to be generated by the construction process. However, it is likely to be several years before the solar farm is operational and generating electricity for the National Grid.
A decision on the application from Tipperary County Council is due on February 27.
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