SSE Renewables has announced proposals for a new onshore wind farm in Northern Ireland.
The proposed Tattymoyle Wind Farm, if consented, will be located near Fintona, County Tyrone. The development plans suggest up to ten wind turbines could be constructed on the site with a potential 60MW capacity. SSE Renewables also suggests that a co-located battery energy storage system (BESS) could be built on site.
SSE Renewables will now open public consultations to get community feedback on the proposals ahead of submitting a planning application to Northern Ireland’s Department for Infrastructure in 2025.
Anna Magee, SSE Renewables Tattymoyle project manager said: “We are eager to meet with the local community and get their feedback on our plans to develop Tattymoyle Wind Farm in south Tyrone. This will be our first new wind farm project in Northern Ireland in a number of years and we are excited to be developing in this key market, in which we hope to develop more renewable energy projects in the future. We look forward to meeting with the local community who are an essential stakeholder for this development at our upcoming consultation events.
Wind energy in Northern Ireland
Wind energy is becoming an increasingly important part of Northern Ireland’s energy mix. In September, the Northern Irish government released statistics showing that between July 2023 and June 2024, almost half of Northern Ireland’s total energy generation came from renewable energy sources; of this, the majority came from wind. Over this time period, Northern Ireland produced 2.731TWh of wind energy – over 82% of all Northern Irish renewable generation – compared to 0.588TWh of other renewable sources.
Across the entire Emerald Isle, wind energy is becoming ever more crucial; all-Ireland industry body Wind Energy Ireland recently revealed that July 2024 was the third-best month on record for wind generation in the history of the island. Across the whole of Ireland, on- and offshore wind generated 656GWh of power in July 2024, making up 22% of the island’s electricity demand.
Ireland’s most recent renewable energy procurement round, RESS 4, saw improvements across the board from previous rounds, with 1.334GW of onshore renewable electricity awarded through the auction. This was made up of 960MW of solar PV and 374MW of onshore wind. These secured an average price of €96.85 (£81.73) per MWh, lower than the two previous auctions.
