Groups to share in €50k windfall under Castlepook Community Fund
COMMUNITY groups in North Cork are to share a €50,000 funding windfall under a scheme established by the joint developers of the Castlepook Wind Farm near Doneraile.
Late last year, almost four years after the controversial wind farm was given the all-clear by An Bord Pleanála, the ESB and Coillte announced the project was finally set to move forward after a finance agreement was reached with Bank of Ireland.
Scheduled to be operational this autumn the wind farm, which is being built at a cost of around €64 million, will have 14 turbines with a combined generating capacity of 33.3 megawatts of electricity, enough to power the equivalent of approximately 17,000 homes per year.
An ESB/Coillte funded Community Development Fund as also set up, with community and voluntary organisations invited to apply for funding to help finance projects that will benefit communities located in proximity to the wind farm. Fund underscored their long-term commitment
The fund, which will run annually, will to the local community. have a cumulative value of approximately “We are proud to be able to support these €1.2 million during the operational life span initiatives. In making this fund available of the wind farm. annually over the next 25 years we aim to
Castlepook Power DAC has announced contribute to the development of essential the first 11 groups/projects shortlisted infrastructure and services and assist groups under the fund for 2017, with the money who are committed to helping their community set to fund a wide variety of initiatives that reach its full potential and make “support and benefit” the area surrounding things happen,” he said. the wind farm. With the community fund set to reopen
Michael Bermingham, stakeholder managerclose again within September,the ESB, Andysaid Fox,the Community Community Engagement Officer with Coillte, urged groups to start preparing their submissions for the 2018 fund.
“We look forward to seeing the great work these 11 recipients will undertake and encourage those who were unsuccessful this time around to seek feedback from our administering body SECAD in order to strengthen their applications for next years fund,” he said.
For more information about the Community Fund and instructions on how to apply to it visit www.castlepookwindfarm.ie.