An Coimiúsin Pleanála (ACP) has confirmed that plans have formally been withdrawn for a €1.4 billion wind farm comprising “30 Eiffel Tower sized turbines” off the coast of Co Clare and Co Galway.
Comedian Tommy Tiernan was one of 177 third parties to lodge submissions on the contentious plan to construct the 450MW wind farm with 30 turbines over 1,000ft high in the Atlantic ocean.
Fuinneamh Sceirde Teoranta (FST) was planning to construct its Sceirde Rocks wind farm on waters located 5km to 11.5m km off the west coast with Carna in Galway the nearest settlement.
The commission has informed Mr Tiernan and other third parties, along with local authorities, that FST has withdrawn its planning application.
With the abandonment of the project, FST has forfeited the €35.4 million performance security bond it lodged with the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment connected to the proposal.
[ ‘Disgusting thing to do’: Tommy Tiernan objects to proposed Connemara offshore wind farmOpens in new window ]
This is in addition to the substantial costs it incurred in preparing the planning documentation, which was lodged with the marine section of the commission on January 17th last year.
In a letter to the commission, Sharn Ward, a director at FST, stated that representatives of FST and ACP met on December 4th “and FST noted its intention to withdraw the planning application”.
Ms Ward added: “With this letter, FST formally withdraws the planning application.”
Ms Ward said that “by way of background, FST notified the Dept of Climate, Energy and the Environment by letters dated April 25th and May 29th of the cessation of the Sceirde Rocks project”.
A spokesman at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment said on Friday that the project was owned by Corio Generation, who announced a planned corporate restructuring on April 8th 2025 that would see it focus on a smaller portfolio of projects worldwide.
He said the department had drawn down the performance security of €35.4 million.
He said: “Under the terms and conditions of ORESS 1 (the Offshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme), abandonment of the project results in forfeiture of the performance security. Following abandonment of the Sceirde Rocks project, its performance security was forfeited. There is no provision in the terms and conditions for its return.”
In his objection to the Sceirde Rock proposal, Mr Tiernan wrote: “I’m objecting to the proposed offshore wind farm near Carna, Connemara, County Galway on the grounds of desecration of that area of natural beauty.”
