A new planning application has been submitted for the Knocknamona Windfarm project in West-County Waterford, proposing the construction of eight wind turbines as part of a renewable energy development.
Developers Ecopower have lodged the pre-validated planning application for the project, known as Knocknamona Windfarm 2026. The proposed development forms part of a wider renewable energy initiative under the Renewable Energy Directive III.
Eight Turbines Planned for Windfarm
The proposed windfarm would include eight wind turbines, each with an overall tip height of 159 metres. The turbines would feature rotor diameters ranging from 133 metres to 138 metres, with hub heights between 90 metres and 92.5 metres.
The turbines would sit in the same locations as a previously authorised windfarm design but would stand four metres taller than those approved in a 2022 planning permission.
The project would also include turbine foundations and crane hardstandings, with minor adjustments to the layout compared with earlier approved plans.
Substation and Access Roads Included
Plans also outline the construction of a windfarm substation compound that would contain two control buildings and electrical equipment. The substation would occupy the same location as previously approved but would be larger in scale.
The development would require significant road infrastructure, including the widening and upgrading of 6.8 kilometres of existing forestry roads and the construction of 1.2 kilometres of new access roads within the site.
Developers also plan to install a 90-metre lattice meteorological mast to monitor wind conditions. This mast would stand nine metres lower than a previously authorised structure.
Forestry Clearance and Supporting Works
The project would involve the felling of approximately 29.8 hectares of commercial forestry to accommodate the windfarm.
Additional works would include underground cabling connecting turbines and monitoring equipment to the substation, surface water drainage systems, temporary borrow pits and a construction compound.
Developers have requested ten years of planning permission and a 35-year operational lifespan for the windfarm once it becomes operational.
Previous Applications and Local Opposition
This latest planning submission follows two earlier proposals.
Planning authorities rejected previous applications in 2014 and 2021.
Two resident groups have strongly opposed earlier plans for the windfarm. The Drumhills Community Wind Farm Awareness Group and Dungarvan Against Wind Turbines have both raised concerns in the past about the scale and potential impact of the project.
The new application which is at pre-validation stage, will now go through the planning process, during which members of the public can submit observations.
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