To: Darragh O'Brien, Minister for the enviroment
Standardise wind-farm community benefit and near neighbour schemes
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Standardise the community benefit schemes and near neighbour payments relating to wind-farms across the country
Why is this important?
As it stands there seems to be no set standard for community benefit schemes and near Neighbour payments that relate to wind farms across the country.
A prime example is SSE's "Yellow River Wind Farm" in North Offaly. Unlike many of the wind-farms within the county, SSE are only paying people who live within one Kilometer of a wind turbine. In contrast, BnM who plan to create a new wind-farm on the old Bord Na Mona Site, close to the yellow River wind farm, will be paying out a near neighbour payment to people up to two kilometers from their turbines.
It is clear that there is a massive need for more renewable energy within the country, no matter who we are or where we are from, we all deserve access to clean air and clean energy. At the same time we all should be able to enjoy the properties that we live in and be fairly compensated when that enjoyment is impacted.
As someone who lives exactly one kilometer from the Yellow river wind farm, i can confirm that on certain nights the noise from the turbines can get quiet loud and does take away from the enjoyment of my home. I was shocked when the representatives of the wind-farm came around to inform us of the near neibhour payments and seem to make light about how i was just inside the one kilometer boundary. I noted that my neighbours who were literally a meter outside of the radius are just as impacted as i am, but was told that their radius is rigid and it would be possible to get them included.
In terms of the community benefit funds, the amounts are linked to Kilowat of electricity produced and the not the revenue or profit generated by the wind-farm. This means that as the profit from the wind-farm increases, there will be no increase to the community fund.
We the undersigned are calling on Daragh O'Brien to standardise the payments across the board, to ensure that everyone within two kilometers of a turbine is sufficiently compensated and that the community benefit fund is linked to revenue created.
A prime example is SSE's "Yellow River Wind Farm" in North Offaly. Unlike many of the wind-farms within the county, SSE are only paying people who live within one Kilometer of a wind turbine. In contrast, BnM who plan to create a new wind-farm on the old Bord Na Mona Site, close to the yellow River wind farm, will be paying out a near neighbour payment to people up to two kilometers from their turbines.
It is clear that there is a massive need for more renewable energy within the country, no matter who we are or where we are from, we all deserve access to clean air and clean energy. At the same time we all should be able to enjoy the properties that we live in and be fairly compensated when that enjoyment is impacted.
As someone who lives exactly one kilometer from the Yellow river wind farm, i can confirm that on certain nights the noise from the turbines can get quiet loud and does take away from the enjoyment of my home. I was shocked when the representatives of the wind-farm came around to inform us of the near neibhour payments and seem to make light about how i was just inside the one kilometer boundary. I noted that my neighbours who were literally a meter outside of the radius are just as impacted as i am, but was told that their radius is rigid and it would be possible to get them included.
In terms of the community benefit funds, the amounts are linked to Kilowat of electricity produced and the not the revenue or profit generated by the wind-farm. This means that as the profit from the wind-farm increases, there will be no increase to the community fund.
We the undersigned are calling on Daragh O'Brien to standardise the payments across the board, to ensure that everyone within two kilometers of a turbine is sufficiently compensated and that the community benefit fund is linked to revenue created.