The wind farm, which will consist of six wind turbines, is one of the projects that Gaelectric currently has in planning in Northern Ireland, totaling approximately 130MW. The Carn Hill project is expected to generate energy equivalent to the average electricity consumption of approximately 8200 homes on an annual basis.
The company currently has 25 projects at different stages of development in Ireland. Its energy storage unit this month received a mineral prospecting license for salt, which will further advance the research and development of a compressed air energy storage (CAES) and gas storage facility in Larne, County Antrim, Gaelectric said.
Brendan McGrath, CEO of Gaelectric, said: “We have been working on planning for a range of sites in Antrim and Tyrone for a number of years. The Carn Hill approval is very welcome as it heralds the beginning of the execution of the next stage of our development in Northern Ireland.”
Gaelectric has Gate 2 grid connections for four projects, totaling approximately 18MW in Ireland. The company also expects to gain Gate 3 grid connections for six other sites that could total up to 48MW. The company will spend up to GBP5m in construction and operation costs with local companies.
Gaelectric’s first wind farm in Roscommon is expected to be commissioned by the end 2010.
