LATEST: Massive €200m solar farm planned for rural community in Kildare

Plans have been lodged for a solar farm spanning nearly 250 hectares in the Brannockstown area. 

A planning application has been submitted to Kildare County Council by Dublin-based Delamain Solar Farm Limited which was established last year.

The plans relate to a solar farm with a total area of circa 246 hectares in the townlands of Brannockstown, Brownstown, Carnalway, Coghlanstown West, Corbally, Delamain, Dunnstown, Gaganstown, Greenhills, Harristown, Hillsborough, Moorhill And Rochestown in County Kildare.

The solar farm will consist of solar photovoltaic panels with a surface area of 1,130,000 square metres on ground mounted frames.

Also in the plans are 40 single storey electrical inverter/transformer stations and four single storey spare parts containers.

The designs include weather stations, underground electrical ducting and cabling.

Security fencing, CCTV, access tracks, temporary construction compounds and landscaping is included.

Construction and operational access will be via entrances from local routes: R412, R413, L6044, L6047 and L6063.

Planning documents state the solar farm will have a maximum export capacity of circa 210 megawatts.

The operational lifespan of the proposed solar farm will be 40 years.

Part of the proposed development is situated within the demesne land of Harristown House which contains protected structures, but no works are proposed to these protected structures.

The estimated construction value of the project is €197m, according to Construction Information Services database.