Suspicion, distrust, confusion: Why wind farm developments are being delayed
The experience in Kilmanagh, Co Killkenny, is a perfect example of the problems and the need for a new blueprint
Communities 4 Just Transition are opposing a wind farm in Kilmanagh, Co Kilkenny. Picture: Patrick Browne
SUN, 28 JAN, 2024 - 02:00
MICK CLIFFORD
As is often the case with this business, it started as a rumour. A few people in the village of Kilmanagh heard some local farmers had been getting a knock on the door. Inquiries were made to check whether it was true.
Most of the farmers who inhabited the rumour were reticent, but one or two had no problem sharing their experience. Yes, there had been an approach to sell or lease land. Yes, it’s another wind farm they’re talking about it. And yes, they were asked to say nothing for the time being.
That was how a proposal to build a wind farm near the Kilkenny village came about. The village, with a population of about 500, nestles in the cup of a valley about 15km from Kilkenny City, close to the Tipperary border. It is a suitable example of the term picturesque and, despite its size, has a tradition of supplying hurlers to winning Kilkenny teams.
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/spotlight/arid-41317180.html
