FAQs

Who is RES?

RES is a British company with headquarters in Hertfordshire. It is the world’s largest independent renewable energy company, working across 24 countries and active in wind, solar, energy storage, green hydrogen, transmission and distribution. As an industry innovator for over 40 years, RES has delivered more than 27GW of renewable energy projects across the globe and supports an operational asset portfolio exceeding 41GW worldwide for a large client base.

RES has been building wind farms across the island of Ireland since the early 1990s and from our office in Larne, Co. Antrim we have a team of over 20 working across a range of disciplines. RES has developed 26 onshore wind farms in Northern Ireland totaling in excess of 400MW and operates over 134MW of wind capacity across the country.

Where will the wind farm be?

The proposed wind farm is located in the townlands of Carrickayne, Legnahappoge, Glengarrow, Stroanback and Doorat, approximately 4km northeast of Plumbridge. You can see a site location plan here.

We acknowledge that we had previously stated incorrectly that the project is located in County Londonderry, this had been incorrectly picked up from the location of some of the adjacent roads, and the site being located within the Derry City and Strabane District Council area. We have remedied this online and will ensure that this error is not replicated.

How many wind turbines will there be?

When considering the site, there is a vast number of aspects which we consider and therefore we would carry out extensive survey work over a period of years to compile all of the necessary information which would result in a final layout design. As we receive more detailed information on a site during this period, we will make changes to the layout to ensure project feasibility, which may result in the removal or relocation of turbine(s) and any associated infrastructure. In this instance, our original proposal had been for up to 12 turbines but the final proposal for up to 11 turbines with a maximum tip height of 180m. 

Why are the turbines so tall?

Turbine technology has advanced considerably in recent years, meaning that turbines are now taller and more efficient. We appreciate that modern wind farms are large structures, they are designed to maximise energy production and by having larger turbines it allows us to reduce the number of turbines whilst still maximising the energy production and reducing the levelised cost of energy. Onshore wind is one of the cheapest forms of energy¹ and we are utilising one of Irelands greatest natural resources.

Why here?

The site was chosen because it has very good wind resource, few ecological constraints, feasible access and a viable grid connection.

The wind farm is close to residential properties

The wind farm will be located over 1km from the closest homes, which is twice the minimum recommended distance.

What stage is the project at?

Extensive initial environmental and technical surveys are required to ensure a site is suitable for a wind farm development and to inform the wind farm layout and design.

Once a layout and design has been developed, RES then consult with the local community and stakeholders to get feedback on the proposal. Public exhibitions were held in September 2023 which initiated a consultation period being run by RES to gather comments on the proposal. The closing date for comments was Friday 22nd September 2023 at 5pm. Comments will still be accepted but may not be considered in relation to the design development. Please contact us for more information.

At this stage, we expect to submit a planning application in early 2024.

What if I couldn't make it to the public exhibitions?

All information presented at the public exhibitions is available to view here.

What would the wind farm look like and what about the impact on the Sperrins AONB?

A detailed Landscape & Visual Impact Assessment is undertaken as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment and the findings will be presented in the Environmental Statement accompanying the Planning Application.

We undertake extensive research before selecting sites and many upland areas are located in areas of outstanding natural beauty and the onus is on us as the developer to demonstrate that this project will not have a significant impact on the integrity of the Sperrins AONB.

A number of visualisations were presented at the public exhibition and are available to view here.

The viewpoints presented at the exhibition were selected to be representative of the type of views that are readily available but cannot cover all viewpoints within the study area. All viewpoint photographs are taken in accordance with best practice guidance and are to be designed to be viewed at the locations that they have been taken from. It is important to note that whilst they are taken in accordance with the best practice guidance, there are limitations as a visualisation can never show exactly what the wind farm will look like in reality due to factors such as different lighting, weather and seasonal conditions which vary through time.

How will you ensure the wind farm doesn’t impact the wildlife in the area?

Protecting and minimising any potential direct or indirect impacts on local wildlife and their habitats is of utmost importance and we take this responsibility seriously. Any potential impact on habitats and particular fauna is assessed in detail through the Ecological Impact Assessment which will accompany the planning application.

What about the impact on blanket bog and peat?

The impact on peatland is assessed in detail through the Ecological Impact Assessment and any loss of peatland as a result of the wind farm infrastructure will be compensated for through habitat management measures.

The impacts of peat slide risk will also be addressed specifically and RES have over 30 years developing and constructing wind farms in Ireland on peatland sites.

What about the health impacts of wind farms?

The development of wind farms around the world has been accompanied by some concerns of their impact to human health. One of the most common concerns relates to low-frequency noise commonly known as infrasound and its role as a hidden contributing agent behind ‘wind turbine syndrome’.

Low frequency noise is generally not audible or perceptible to humans as it occurs at similar levels to pre-existing background levels. Adverse effects on humans are only evident at infrasound levels far exceeding that generated by operating wind turbines. Multiple organisations and studies from around the world, including the World Health Organisation, indicate that there is no evidence that any infrasound/low frequency noise from wind turbines directly causes health impacts or can otherwise impact on the amenity of those living or working near wind turbines.

The common rate or frequency at which photosensitive epilepsy might be triggered is between 3 and 30 Hz (flashes per second). Large commercial turbines, such as the proposed turbines at Mullaghclogher, rotate at low speeds resulting in less than 3 flashes per second and are therefore unlikely to cause epileptic seizures. (Harding et al., 2008², Smedley et al., 2010³ ). Therefore, there are not considered to be any health effects associated with the project and the assessment will address the effects of shadow flicker related only to local amenity.

Whilst various studies continue to refute the connection between noise from wind turbines and negative health effects. we take the issue seriously.

Do wind farms effect water quality?

Any potential impact on hydrology and fisheries is assessed in detail through separate Hydrological and Fisheries Impact Assessments.

Do wind farms affect property values?

Queries are often raised in relation to the potential of wind farms to impact upon the value of house prices as there can be a perception that there must be a negative effect on house prices. Property value is subjective and can be affected by a range of factors. There is no firm evidence on whether UK onshore wind farms do or do not affect house prices, this is further evidenced from various studies on the same topic having starkly different results. We are aware of residents close to other renewable energy projects, who enjoy having renewable energy projects close by and believe that they add value to their community.

Why onshore wind?

We are facing a climate emergency, and at the same time seeking to enhance the security of our energy supply. Onshore wind can address both of these.

Wind energy is a free and inexhaustible resource which has an important role to play as part of a balanced energy mix. It increases energy security by reducing our reliance on imports and builds our resilience to sudden price fluctuations or the uncertainty of global markets. It can be quick to build and the carbon payback time is usually within 1-3 years.

The Mullaghclogher Wind Farm is projected to produce enough clean, low-cost electricity for the equivalent of over 80,000⁴ houses and offset 118,000 tonnes of carbon⁵, compared to generation from fossil fuels, every year.

Onshore wind, alongside other renewable technologies, are also the cheapest form of new electricity generation¹.

Northern Ireland consumers avoided paying £500 million to import gas last year because wind farms provided nearly 42% of our electricity⁶.

Why don’t you put them out at sea or develop other renewable technologies? 

A future balanced energy mix is vital to improve the reliability and resiliency of the energy grid and helps to ensure affordability for customers. Experience and research show that it's important to avoid overdependence on any single fuel type.  The future energy mix will be a diverse menu of low-carbon and renewable energy technologies, all pulling together to meet the net zero targets.

Other renewable technologies will have their own merits in relation to cost, efficiency, environmental or social benefits.  

If the wind doesn’t blow, there will be no power 

Wind turbines tend to generate electricity for around 80-85% of the time, but wind speeds vary and this has an impact on how much power is produced. As the grid system becomes increasingly powered by onshore wind and other renewables, it has become much more diverse and distributed.

Our grid is becoming smarter to match supply and demand. NI’s reliance on the use of natural gas to balance it will reduce as we see larger amounts of energy storage in the system. Systems like batteries and electric vehicles, as well as green hydrogen, are able to store surplus energy from renewables and release it when required.

The Mullaghclogher proposal includes battery energy storage and associated infrastructure on the site. Energy storage helps support the grid network by storing energy at times when generation exceeds demand and releasing electricity back when demand exceeds generation, thus creating a more stable and secure electricity system. Increasing the installed capacity of energy storage is essential to enabling and accelerating the rollout of zero carbon energy to support NI’s net-zero emissions target.

What happens next?

RES is committed to being a good neighbour and have an ‘open door’ policy which means that anyone can contact us about the Mullaghclogher proposal at any stage and we will respond in a timely manner. Contact details can be found here.

This project website will be updated regularly to enable people to keep up to date with the latest news about the project as it progresses.

Once the planning application and environmental statement have been validated by DFI Planning, RES will write out to political representatives, community organisations and members of the public who have requested to be kept informed, to provide them with the planning reference number and address of the DFI’s Planning Department, should they wish to submit a formal representation.

 

^{1 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/911817/electricity-generation-cost-report-2020.pdf}

^{2 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1528-1167.2008.01563.x}

^{3 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1528-1167.2009.02402.x}

^{4 The homes figure has been calculated by taking the predicted annual electricity generation of the site (based on RES assessments Mullaghclogher has a predicted capacity factor of 48.2%) and dividing this by the annual average electricity figures from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) showing that the annual UK average domestic household consumption is 3,509 kWh (Dec 2022).}

^{5 RES uses DESNZ’s “all non-renewable fuels” emissions statistic of 424 tonnes of carbon dioxide per GWh of electricity supplied in the Digest of UK Energy Statistics (July 2023) Table 5.14 (“Estimated carbon dioxide emissions from electricity supplied”). Carbon reduction is calculated by multiplying the total amount of electricity generated by the windfarm per year by the number of tonnes of carbon which fossil fuels would have produced to generate the same amount of electricity.}

^{6 https://renewableni.com/wind-saves-ni-500m-in-2022}