Latest news with #EIAR
Irish Independent
08-08-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Plans for Ireland's largest offshore wind farm hit with 70-page setback
Codling Wind Park will have a capacity of up to 1,300 megawatts (MW) and will be able to supply more than one million Irish homes with renewable energy. It will be located between 13 to 22km off the Wicklow coast and will connect to the Irish grid at Poolbeg in Dublin. The project will also reduce Irish energy generation emissions and displace over 1.7 million tonnes of carbon. The project alone accounts for just over one quarter of Ireland's entire 2030 target for grid connected offshore energy. It is 50/50 joint venture between Fred. Olsen Seawind and EDF Renewables. The application was initially lodged in September 6, 2024, and it was expected that the planning authority would make a ruling this year. However, the further information request now means the respondents have a period of up to nine months to respond to the request, meaning any responses should be made no later than May 11, 2026. Under the further information request, the applicant is requested to clearly note any proposed amendments to the Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR), Natura Impact Statement (NIS) and other documentation submitted, and cross reference clearly revised/new information across the submitted documentation as appropriate. The scientific information provided as part of the planning application documentation should be based on up-to-date survey reports and data. The applicant is requested to confirm or provide justification or verification that the information submitted remains relevant and appropriate at the point of submitting further information or to update same as required. While an 'In Principle Environmental Monitoring Plan' (IPEMP) has been submitted, the range of monitoring proposals and language used within that document do not provide sufficient clarity, commitment nor detail of monitoring measures and reporting, which the commission considers to be required for a project of the scale and duration proposed, throughout the construction, operational and decommissioning phases of the proposed development. The applicant has also been requested to provide further information on the potential spatial extent of habitat lost and the potential spatial extent of habitat adversely effected. They have also been requested to consult with the Irish Coast Guard (IRCG), who through the Department of Transport, has raised concerns in relation to the layout of the proposed development with respect to search and rescue access.
Irish Independent
08-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Amazon Web Services faces fresh delay over plans for three data centres in north Dublin
An Bord Pleanála wrote to AWS firm Universal Developers LLC in recent days, seeking to clarify the impact of the three planned data centres, with reference to the Government's recently published Climate Action Plan 2025. The letter seeking clarification comes more than 18 months after Fingal County Council's decision to grant planning for the three new data-centre buildings was appealed to the board. The board has now told Amazon Web Services that the information is necessary for the purpose of enabling it to determine the appeal. AWS has massively ramped up data-centre spending across Europe In the letter, the appeals board stated that it is seeking the applicant's response, in light of the publication of the Climate Action Plan in April 2025 and of another report, on Ireland's Greenhouse Gas Emissions 2023-2050, released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The reports were published after the preparation of an Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) as part of the planning application. As a result, the appeals board wants Amazon Web Services to re-affirm, or otherwise, findings in its original environmental assessment. The data-centre campus – on a 65-acre site at Cruiserath Road, Dublin 15 – would have a combined power load of 73MW. The appeals board has also told the applicants to provide evidence of capacity in the national grid to serve the development, and is seeking details of the energy provider who will connect the new buildings. AWS has until May 29 to provide a response. The letter comes more than 18 months after five third-party appeals lodged in relation to the proposed development with An Bord Pleanála in October 2023 contesting Fingal County Council's decision to grant planning for the three new data-centre buildings. Universal Developers LLC first lodged plans two-and-a-half years ago, in December 2022. The five parties who lodged appeals against the permission are Friends of the Earth, the Fingal One Future Group, Dr Colin Doyle, John Conway & Louth Environmental Group, and Mannix Coyne. AWS has massively ramped up investment in data-centre infrastructure across Europe since last summer, in anticipation of a long-term increase in demand for cloud services as a result of the roll-out of generative AI – the data-hungry processes that are rapidly being adopted by industries of all kinds. Since May, AWS has announced a combined €35bn of new investment in its European cloud infrastructure, mostly to build new data centres in Britain, Germany, Spain and France. Ireland has so far missed out on that expansion.
Irish Independent
28-04-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Controversial Kerry windfarm plans submitted a second time to An Bord Pleanála
The controversial Ballynagare windfarm incorporates townlands near Lixnaw in North Kerry and has met with stiff local opposition since it was first proposed in 2021. The development was initially refused planning by Kerry County Council in 2022 because the designated area was not zoned for windfarm development. This decision was later appealed to An Bord Pleanála and was rejected in 2023 due to environmental concerns and the risk of flooding. But a recent High Court decision has overruled the planning regulator resulting a fresh appeal by Ballynagare Wind Farm Ltd that is due to be decided on by An Bord Pleanála in August. The new application includes a Natura Impact (Nis) and Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR). Among the list of concerns relating to the initial submission are the proposed blade heights (170 metres) that would create a visual impact due to the low-lying nature of the landscape. The local authority cited six reasons for its refusal in 2022, including that it would be 'detrimental' to the visual landscape and views of the medieval Rattoo Tower. It was stated the round tower and Ballyduff are close to the tourist route of the Wild Atlantic Way and the wind turbines would impact views both from the village of Lixnaw and the tower. Concerns over noise from the turbines and the 'absolute depletion' of habitats for birds and fauna that frequent the site were also highlighted.
