Plans by the French backed Power Capital Renewable Energy to construct a solar farm on lands close to Dualla village in south Tipperary have been stalled.
Independent TD Mattie McGrath is one of over 300 to lodge submissions with Tipperary Co Council on the solar farm proposed for a 318 acre site.
Seven third parties have now lodged appeals with An Bord Pleanála against the Council’s decision to give the project the green light.
They include equine farmer Keith Barry, Dualla Village Preschool, Dualla Together CLG, Conor and Kate Breen, Enda Howley, Donnacha Looby and Denis Looby and Kelly Reay.
In his objection against the development which is to be located on farm-land 4km north west of Cashel, Deputy McGrath told the Council that a number of his constituents in the Dualla area “are extremely concerned about the proposed development”.
“I am concerned about the scale of this development and the impact it will have on neighbouring homes, farms, businesses and community facilities,” he said.
“A solar farm of this size would change the natural landscape of the local environment and would be in contravention of the Tipperary County Development Plan,” he added.
Deputy McGrath said that notwithstanding the need for renewable clean energy, “it is my belief that the proposed development, if permitted would negatively impact the surrounding area”.
The applicants, Power Capital Renewable Energy Ltd, have incurred cumulative losses of €54m across 2023, 2022 and 2021 as it has advanced solar farm projects across Ireland and the US.
In 2020, Omnes, a Paris-based player in private equity and infrastructure, invested in PCRE and with that backing, PCRE focused on building a significant solar farm portfolio in Ireland and aims to be a major player in the Irish sector.
Its most recent accounts show a pre-tax loss of €29.74m for 2023 and state that in the first half of 2024, the group completed the construction of four Solar PV projects with a capacity of 232MWp, with further portfolios of 325MWp and 115MWp commencing construction in Q2 2024 and Q4 2024 respectively.
A planning report lodged with the solar farm application states that the proposed development will result in increased renewable electrical capacity which will in turn reduce the utilisation of fossil fuels within the national power grid.
The report states that this development “will also contribute to meeting the national greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets and overall have a positive impact on climate change”.
Keith Barry operates Milburn Farm, an 85 acre residential and equestrian farm 200 metres from the proposed site.
In his objection, Mr Barry stated: “We have bred and currently own and breed show jumping horses which have represented our country in the international arena.”
Mr Barry stated that in excess of 280 individuals along with bodies that supply amenities to the small village of Dualla and its environs “have spoken and shared their concerns around water quality, health and safety and the general feeling of concern about how their homes”.
He stated that “the future of the village and its amenities and their quality of lives and that of their families in the future and beyond 40 years will be affected if this development is to go ahead”.
The co-owners of Dualla Village pre-school, Sarah Lawlor and Kelly Reay, told the council: “Our preschool and school aged service is thriving. We have worked hard to provide the children of Dualla and surrounding areas a quality, gold standard educational facility with a unique and cutting edge curriculum”.
“This solar development puts our business in jeopardy, by surrounding us with steel framed black glass and intrusive fences we will no longer be a sanctuary for the children of the village,” they said.
“The rolling green fields will be filled with black glass and steel and the gentle sounds of nature overrun by buzzing transformers and overhead electrical cables. Families will not want to live in an industrialised village which will have knock-on consequences for our intake of children,” they added.
A decision is due on the third party appeals in August.
Reporting by Gordon Deegan
