An Coimisiún Pleanála has refused planning permission for an eleven turbine wind farm at the 12 O’Clock Hills in south east Clare, marking the second wind energy project in the county to be blocked this year on aviation safety grounds. The decision, issued on September 2nd, went against Danish energy company Ørsted, which had proposed the development roughly nine kilometres north of Limerick city and less than five kilometres from Sixmilebridge.
The planning authority found it was “not satisfied that measurable, evidence based, demonstrable and credible mitigation” had been put forward to address the risk the turbines posed to aviation surveillance equipment in the area. It concluded the project carried a significant risk of a major accident through potential degradation of radar performance, and noted that the applicant did not hold sufficient legal interest in the land needed to carry out the safety measures required by Shannon Airport, AirNav Ireland and the Irish Aviation Authority. Under Section 37H(2)(c) of the Planning and Development Act 2000, €12,229 in fees was returned to Ørsted as a result of the refusal.
Both Shannon Airport and AirNav Ireland had lodged objections to the scheme, raising what they described as serious concerns about the potential impact on radar and navigation services in the region. The case closely mirrors an earlier decision in May, when An Coimisiún Pleanála refused permission for Ballycar Green Energy’s twelve turbine proposal at Ballycar, also near Limerick city. That development drew more than seventy objections and was rejected after AirNav Ireland warned it would degrade the performance of the Woodcock Hill radar station, a facility relied on for air traffic control at both Shannon and Dublin.
Taken together, the two refusals point to a growing tension between wind energy development and aviation infrastructure in the mid west, an area where Shannon Airport’s approach paths and supporting radar network cover a wide stretch of the county. Shannon Airport has previously said it was not properly consulted on wind farm plans for east Clare, and cross party members of the Oireachtas reaffirmed their support for the airport earlier this year. With renewable energy targets continuing to drive fresh turbine proposals across the region, further clashes between developers and aviation authorities look likely unless mitigation measures acceptable to Shannon Airport, AirNav Ireland and the IAA can be found.
