Planning Permission Ireland
GrantedEnergyDecided 20 September 2023

THE TOWNLANDS OF DOVEHILL GORTNAMUCK CURRAGHMORE (EGLISH BY), AND FREAGH, CO. OFFALY

A major solar farm development on 142.31 hectares across three land parcels in County Offaly.

2374 · Offaly County Council · Lodged 24 February 2023

Reference
2374
Authority
Offaly County Council
Register status
Decided
Type
PERMISSION
Received
24 February 2023

Summary

AI-generated

The applicant seeks a 10-year permission and 40-year operation for a solar farm featuring 834,632 square metres of ground-mounted solar panels. The project includes underground cabling, inverter stations, security fencing, control buildings, and site entrances.

Energysolarrenewableinfrastructure

Generated from the description above by an AI model and may contain mistakes. The council’s description is the authoritative record.

Official record

Development description

10-year permission and 40 year operation for a solar farm on 3 no. Land parcels as described herein: west parcel (dovehill townland) c. 81.04 hectares, central parcel (gortnamuck & curraghmore (eglish by) townlands) c. 42.2 hectares and east parcel (gortnamuck & freagh townlands) c. 16.07 hectares; a route corridor of 3 hectares for an underground internal electrical cable connecting the west and central parcels to the east parcel consisting of c. 3,956m underground cabling within the corridor of the l6042 'rath road' public road. The total site area for the proposed development is c. 142.31 hectares and consists of the following; 834,632 sq. Metres of solar photovoltaic panels on ground mounted steel frames; inverter/transformer stations; underground power and communication cables and ducts; boundary security fencing; 2 no. Medium voltage (mv) control buildings; new internal access tracks associated drainage infrastructure; 3 no. Site entrances to the l6042 'rath road' public road; 40 no. Cctv/ lighting posts and all associated site services and works. Installations of internal network cable comprise trenching for an underground medium voltage electrical cable and associated joint bays and infrastructure, for a distance of approximately 2,750 metres in length along the l6042 'rath road' public road and approximately 1,206 metres within the solar farm lands. The proposed solar farm will be broken into 2 no. Separate phases. 'phase 1' will consist of the development of the solar pv arrays located in the east parcel (c. 16.07 ha), central parcel (c. 42.2 ha) and the west parcel (c. 14.46 ha). 'phase 2' of the solar farm will consist of the development of the remainder of the solar pv arrays in the west parcel covering a site area of c. 66.58 ha. As part of a separate strategic infrastructure development (sid) planning application, provision of a 110kv electrical substation with electrical control building, associated compound with palisade fence and 2 no. Overhead line masts, which is to be located in the east parcel, will be lodged with an bord pleanála in due course

Key dates

Timeline

  1. Application received24 February 2023
  2. Further information requested19 April 2023
  3. Further information received24 August 2023
  4. Decision due20 September 2023
  5. Decision issued20 September 2023
  6. Grant issued25 October 2023
  7. Permission expiry24 October 2033

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