Renewable energy plan halted after rejection by Burren residents

TWO BURREN communities on the north Clare coast have overwhelmingly voted against a €400-€500 million renewable energy project for the area.

Chairman of the Ballyvaughan Community Development Group Patrick O’Donoghue explained yesterday that “no amount of money would sway people here from protecting the Burren. We have a duty of care to the Burren and we have chosen preservation over economic benefit”.

In the poll of 387 voters, 89 per cent opposed the project: 344 voted against, 28 in favour, and 15 votes were invalid.

Mr O’Donoghue said: “There were two questions on the ballot, ‘do you agree or not for Organic Power to conduct baseline studies into the project?’ and ‘do you agree or not for the project as a whole?’ ”

He said there was “quiet applause” from a packed community hall in Ballyvaughan after 10.30pm on Tuesday when he read out the result.

Before the vote, the managing director of Cork-based company Organic Power Ltd, Maurice McCarthy, said the firm would not proceed with the project without the endorsement of the community.

In a letter to the community group, Mr McCarthy said the communities would receive €30 million – €600,000 per year for 50 years – towards community projects when the scheme is operational.

Organic Power Ltd was proposing to investigate the prospects of locating a sea-water pumped hydroelectric energy storage scheme on Gleninagh Mountain that had the capacity to produce 836MW in power, marginally less than the State’s largest coal-burning station at Moneypoint in south Clare.

Mr McCarthy yesterday confirmed that the company would not now be proceeding with baseline studies.

He attributed the large No vote to a “very loud vocal Nimby [Not In My Backyard] group who don’t want to see anything like this in their area, at the cost to the wider community”.