IRISH-owned solar development company Circal has announced that its 108 megawatt (MW) solar farm project located on the Kerry–Limerick border has formally entered the planning process.
This comes as over 140 submissions have been received on Kerry County Council’s planning site, with local residents staging protests opposing the plans.
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The Tarmon Solar Farm project, if approved and developed, intends to supply up to 108MW of renewable energy to the grid or the equivalent electricity to power almost 35,000 households each year.
The project has officially passed a completeness check from Kerry and Limerick City and County Councils.
Under new, European-wide renewable energy guidelines, all renewable energy projects must pass a “completeness check” before entering the planning process.
The project team has prepared the application following technical assessment and engagement undertaken during the project’s development.
The solar farm project proposed for the south-east of Tarbert has 75% of its on site located in Kerry, with the remaining 25% across the border in Limerick.
The public observation period has now closed, and the views submitted will be considered by the local planning authorities as part of their decision-making process.
Tarbert Development Association and the Tarbert Says No Action Group were among those expressing concerns about the development on Kerry County Council’s planning site.
The objection from the action group outlines their “serious concerns regarding the location, scale and cumulative impact of this particular development and whether the application has adequately demonstrated that a development of this magnitude can be accommodated without unacceptable consequences for the local environment and community”.
Traffic and road safety, disruption to local businesses, impact on the community, and the suitability of the location are among the issues raised by the variety of objections.
Kerry TDs Danny Healy-Rae and Michael Cahill also raised concerns about the development.
Deputy Healy-Rae said the solar farm could “do serious damage to life and livelihoods in this region”, while Deputy Cahill explained that, though he “fully supports” renewable energy, he had met with local residents who were concerned about the scale of the project.
Bill Sadlier, chief executive of Circal described passing the completeness check as “an important procedural milestone” for Tarmon Solar Farm: “It means the application can now move into the formal planning process, where Kerry County Council and Limerick City and County Council will assess the proposal including the submissions made by members of the public.
“We look forward to continuing to engage openly with the local community throughout the planning authority’s consideration of the application and beyond.”
He continued: “Once operational, Tarmon is expected to generate around 150,000 MWh of clean electricity a year — enough to power approximately 35,000 Irish homes — saving consumers an estimated €5 million annually and reducing the cost to the State of missing its 2030 renewable energy targets by up to €15 million a year.”
A spokesperson for Circal said that the solar farm will bring benefits to the local community through a Community Benefit Fund worth approximately €170,000 per year annually, as well as through local biodiversity enhancement measures and “contributing to Ireland’s security and reliability of energy”.
Full details of the proposal, including the submitted planning documents and the relevant public participation deadlines, will be available through Kerry County Council’s and Limerick City and County Council’s planning system.
Further updates will be provided as the application progresses, the Circal spokesperson added.
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