Cork County Council refuses wind farm extension over hen harrier habitat fears

By Peter McCarthy, Corkman

Cork County Council has refused an application by a wind farm in north-west Cork to extend its operational life by another ten years on the grounds that an extension would limit the available habitat of the hen harrier, a highly endangered bird of prey.

The Taurbeg Wind Farm, which is about 10km north-west of the town of Newmarket, has been operating since 2006 and consists of eleven 108m-tall turbines, supplying 25.3 MW of electricity to the national grid. Its current planning permission expires next year but owner Statkraft had applied for permission to extend the farm’s lifespan for a further ten years until 2036.

However, the local authority has refused permission, saying that an extension had “the potential to result in the continued loss of a significant area of habitat within the SPA [Special Protection Area] which could otherwise be available and suitable to support” the hen harrier.

The refusal also stated that the collision assessment carried out by the applicant “failed to satisfy the Planning Authority that it has not underestimated the risk of impact to hen harrier associated within this wind farm.”

“The applicant has therefore failed to demonstrate that the proposed development would not be non-compliant with the Habitats Directive and Birds Directive,” the council’s refusal statement said.

The hen harrier is one of Ireland's most endangered birds. A national survey in 2022 recorded a maximum of 106 breeding pairs throughout the country, a decline of one-third since the previous survey seven years earlier. At the current rate of decline, the iconic bird of prey could be extinct within 25 years.

Figures contained in Statkraft’s application documents said there were 14 observations of hen harriers within 500m of the wind farm during the 2022 breeding season while surveys were being carried out for another wind farm.

However, the company said no collision-related mortality incidents for the species were detected during dedicated dog-led searches at the turbines of the Taurbeg Wind Farm over a twelve-month period.

"Statkraft is currently reviewing Cork County Council's decision," a company spokesperson told the Irish Independent. Planning decisions can be appealed to An Coimisiún Pleanála within four weeks of the decision.

The company, which is Europe's largest renewable energy producer, says it gives €23,000 a year to local community groups in the area where the wind farm is based, an amount which would be increased by 2pc year on year for the next ten years.

In addition, Statkraft says it pays annual rates of approximately €250,000 per year to Cork County Council for the wind farm. That means if the facility closes next year the local authority is set to lose around €2.5m in potential rates over the next decade.