New Wexford solar hub will lower emissions but ‘discommode' communities – ‘We better get that €250,000'
When complete in Spring 2027, the Wexford Hub Solar Farm will, according to the ESB, generate enough electricity to power approximately 25,000 homes, farms and businesses. The farm will comprise of sites in Growtown, Youngstown, Dennistown and Mayglass with all sites connected back to a new substation located at Dennistown via two new 33kV underground cables. A third underground cable will connect the project from the new Dennistown substation to the existing Wexford 110kV station at Barntown.
The sites will consist of rows of southernly faced solar panels mounted on a galvanised metal framework.
'The development of a solar farm on the proposed sites will not have any significant visual impact on roads, settlements or on any area of special amenity value,' said the ESB. 'Due to the relatively low height of the solar arrays, combined with the flat low-lying character of the site and existing field boundaries, views of the proposed development are restricted.'
The construction of the three underground cable routes for the project will also commence in summer 2025. These works will consist of the installation of ducting predominantly in public roads prior to the installation of the electrical cables. In total there will be c. 25km of ducting across the three cable routes. The first cable route will be from Growtown to Dennistown via Youngstown. The second route will be from Mayglass to Dennistown, and third route will be from Dennistown to the existing 110kV Substation at Barntown.
Localised traffic management and road closures will be required to facilitate these underground cable works which will be agreed in advance with WCC.
Following his presentation, Mr Moroney faced a variety of questions from councillors, the majority focusing on compensation for those likely to be 'discommoded' by the works in their area. However, the first query concerned the acquisition of potentially fertile agricultural land.
'As a farmer I have a problem with all the prime land you're taking to put solar panels on it,' noted Councillor Paddy Kavanagh. 'There are plenty of other options available, have you considered putting them on big industrial buildings?'
'There's enough farmers reaching retirement age now that it kind of suits them (to sell the land) there's an appetite for this judging by the amount of applications we receive,' replied Mr Moroney. 'There are landowners keen to get involved, they are situated relatively near to the substation. The land is a mix or arable land and non-arable land.'
Although the local community will have the opportunity to avail of an annual funding pot of up to €250,000, Cllr Kavanagh said this offer sounded a 'bit like Greek's bearing gifts'.
Cllr Ger Carthy then asked, with four sites being constructed, whether this funding would be quadrupled accordingly or whether it was one individual pot.
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'That's a nice move by the ESB if it's the former,' he said. 'This is an organisation which has a billion euro in pre-tax profits. And it comes down to Co Wexford with four big schemes and €250,000.'
Providing some clarity, Mr Moroney said the €250,000 was an approximation of the likely fund and that the amount of money distributed would be dependent on the electricity generated.
With the Dennistown site just a couple of kilometres from her homeplace in Murrintown, Cllr Lisa McDonald then issued a warning to Mr Moroney.
'I represent the people of Murrintown and I'm telling you now, we better get that €250,000, because our roads are going to be dug up,' she said. 'People are going to be discommoded, and they need to be recompensed. it's completely unfair.'
With the community benefit fund set to run for 15 years, providing up to €4m for community organisations in Co Wexford, Mr Moroney said past experiences had shown that those 'closest to the farms' tended to apply for the money.
'You will find that those in the area will receive a lot of the funding, and we really do appreciate the cooperation of the people of Wexford,' he said. 'We do not take it for granted that we can dig up the roads, not for one moment. We know people would sooner not see us coming to their area, but we do everything for the long-term benefit.'
The Wexford Hub Solar Farm project will have a Community Benefit Fund which will distribute grants to organisations in the local area once the solar farm is operational. The fund for Wexford Hub Solar Farm will not be operational until the project energises in 2027.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
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