Leading renewable energy owner, operator and developer SSE Renewables, has completed a public consultation process for its proposed Celtic Sea Array Wind Farm which included engagement with local communities in Waterford, Cork and Wexford.
The non-statutory consultation phase ran from 17th October until the end of last week, 11th November, with meetings for local residents, businesses and interested parties that are situated closest to the offshore wind farm taking place in community centres in Dungarvan, Fethard, Dunmore East and Youghal.
Feedback provided over the four-week consultation phase centered around several themes including, impact on commercial fisheries, visual impact of the turbines off the coast, and requests for continued engagement with the public and further information to be provided once available. Representatives from SSE Renewables were on-hand to discuss the concerns raised by participants and provide further information about the project details and proposals.
Participants were given the opportunity to submit feedback, which will help to inform the project going forward.
Martin Sweeney, Lead Project Manager for SSE Renewables said: “I would like to thank everyone who attended our consultation events and provided feedback during the period of the consultation. The events facilitated meaningful engagement with local communities and provided useful information and feedback for the team here at SSE Renewables. This feedback will inform us of the views of the local communities on the progress of the wind park in their areas and further information about the project will be shared once it is available.”
The proposed Celtic Sea Array Wind Park is located in the Celtic Sea off the Waterford and Suir Estuary coast. The wind park will be capable of generating up to 1.2GW of renewable energy, powering approximately over 1.25 million homes and businesses annually while offsetting 1.2 billion kgs of carbon emissions.
SSE Renewables is proposing capital investment of up to €2.5 billion to develop Celtic Sea Array. There will be significant employment opportunities to support the day-to-day running of the windfarm and these jobs will be sustained over the operational life of the windfarm.
For further information visit www.sserenewables.com/celticseaarray or email clo@sse.com.
