*Shannon Airport. 

SHANNON AIRPORT is set to become home to Ireland’s first solar farm to be located within an airfield.

This follows Clare County Council granting planning permission to the Shannon Airport Group for the installation of a 1.2MW Photovoltaic Solar Farm on a 5.5 acre site within the airfield at Shannon Airport.

When complete and operating at full capacity, the solar farm is intended to provide up to 15-20 per cent of the airport’s current electrical demand from renewable energy.

No objections were lodged against the proposal and the Council granted planning permission after concluding it would not seriously injure the visual amenities of the area, the residential amenities of the area or the ecology of the area, and would be acceptable in terms of traffic safety and aircraft safety.

According to the Shannon Airport Group, the project will also provide for below-ground electrical infrastructure from the solar array in the airfield back to the main airport terminal building, enabling the energy generated to be used directly on site.

The sustainable use of existing land is one of the key projects included in the Group’s Sustainability Strategy, as it works towards its commitment of reaching its climate targets of a 51 per cent greenhouse gas reduction by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050.

Commenting on the permission, Chief Operating Officer at the Shannon Airport Group, Ray O’Driscoll said: “We are pleased to be progressing to the next stage with our plans for the development of a solar farm at Shannon Airport”.

He said, “The strategic location of the solar farm within the airfield itself will allow the airport to decrease its reliance on energy from the national grid, decrease its use of fossil-fuels and increase its capacity for on-site renewable electricity generation.

“As we work towards our commitment of reaching net zero emissions by 2050, further use of renewable energy will be essential, and we remain committed to investing in smart and innovative infrastructure to ensure we can meet our energy efficiency targets”.

The solar farm application is just one of five applications Shannon Airport Authority DAC has lodged in recent months with Clare County Council as the airport prepares for passenger numbers to exceed 2 million in 2024.

The planned solar farm site lies adjacent to the airport’s Taxiway 12 and an engineering report by TOBIN includes an area earmarked for potentially more solar farm development adjacent to the solar farm site which is a multiple in size of the initial 5.5 acre site.

A spokeswoman for the Shannon Airport Group said that the capital expenditure for the projects “will be funded from our own resources”.

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If you’re here, you care about County Clare. So do we. Did you rely on us for Covid-19 updates, follow our election coverage, or visit The Clare Echo every week for breaking news and sport? The Clare Echo invests in local journalism and we want to safeguard its future in our county. By becoming a subscriber you are supporting what we do, will receive access to all our premium articles and a better experience, while helping us improve our offering to you. Subscribe to clareecho.ie and get the first six months for just €3 a month (less than 75c per week), and thereafter €8 per month. Cancel anytime, limited time offer. T&Cs Apply. www.clareecho.ie.

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