Engineering represents ‘best practice standards’

THE environmental engineering measures employed in the design for the €100 million windfarm in West Clare represent best practice standards.

That’s according to James Conlon, a chartered engineer with Jennings O’Donovan and Partners Consulting Engineers. He is also the project manager and environmental engineer for the Shragh windfarm development.

In his brief of evidence at the oral hearing, he stated the development site is subject to extensive human interference with little or no environmental engineering measures.

“The site is largely developed at present, with over 30 kilometres of roadways in existence. The environmental engineering measures employed in the windfarm design represent best practice standards. Every effort has been made to mitigate potential impacts to the sensitive Doonbeg River receptor.

“Utilisation of the proposed windfarm drainage system and employment of the appropriate mitigation measures during the construction phase will result in negligible concentrations of contaminants entering the Doonbeg River and is likely to be of a superior quality to that currently discharging from the affected site areas at present,” he said.

“During the operational phase of the development, employment of the monitoring and mitigation measures has the potential to significantly improve water quality in the Doonbeg River through regulation of the suspended solids loadings arising from the site’s use for regular peat cutting. This will contribute towards the Doonbeg River achieving a high status under the Water Framework Directive,” he added.

Members of the local opposition committee, Rural Protection Group, are concerned about the possible negative impacts of wind turbines.

Resident Patricia Dillon asked if turf cutting could take place during the construction phase, which could last up to two years and noted there was no reference to this in pre-planning meetings between Clare County Council and An Bord Pleanála.

She wondered if there would be any health and safety issues for the continuation of turf cutting during the construction phase and also asked about the scenario affecting land within site boundaries of the project.
Oisin Collins, barrister, who appeared for the applicant, noted the company had a contract with some landowners but acknowledged non-associated landowners had a legal right to continue with their turf cutting.