– If approved, Coomatallin Wind Farm would continue generating clean energy and supporting local community initiatives until 2046 –
SSE is submitting a planning application to Cork County Council to extend the operational life of its 6MW, four-turbine Coomatallin Wind Farm in West Cork.
Coomatallin Wind Farm, which is located 7km south of Dunmanway and 3.5km east of Drinagh, has been operating since early 2006.
In the almost 20 years since, it has played an important role in generating renewable energy from West Cork for Irish homes and businesses. Coomatallin generates enough renewable energy to power over 4,000 Irish homes annually while displacing another 4,000 tonnes of harmful carbon dioxide emissions each year*.
Now after nearly two decades of successful operations, SSE Renewables is proposing to extend the life of the wind farm. This is because the wind farm’s original planning permission limits its operational life to 20 years from when it was first commissioned. The planning application does not propose any changes to the number or size of the turbines at the wind farm.
Should the planning request to extend the wind farm’s life be approved by Cork County Council, Coomatallin would be able to continue generating vital renewable energy for another 20 years. This would ensure the wind farm can continue to help Ireland meet its climate action obligations and support the country’s ongoing security of energy supply. Coomatallin’s continued operation would also ensure it maintains its positive economic and social impact within the local community and the wider county.
A positive planning decision would mean Community Funding from Coomatallin would continue to benefit local groups and good causes in the vicinity of the wind farm for its extended lifetime. The Coomatallin Community Fund was launched in 2006, and once the contribution from the 2025 fund is distributed, it will have contributed nearly €290,000 to community groups within 20km of the wind farm. Additionally, commercial rates payments to Cork County Council would also continue, providing further financial contributions towards services in Cork such as roads, local infrastructure and public services.
Ciaran Maguire, Onshore Wind O&M General Manager Ireland for SSE Renewables, said:
“Coomatallin Wind Farm has been generating clean, home-grown energy in West Cork since 2006, and with this proposed life extension it has the potential to continue supporting Ireland’s ambitious climate and energy targets well into the future. Just as importantly, securing an extended operational life would allow us to sustain the positive impact of the Coomatallin Community Fund, ensuring that local groups and initiatives in West Cork can continue to benefit for many more years to come.”
For more information on the proposed life extension of Coomatallin Wind Farm, please visit: sserenewables.com/coomatallin
* Quoted 4,130 homes powered based on projected installed capacity, typical projected wind load factor of 33%, and typical annual consumption (4,200kWh). Quoted 3,925 metric tonnes of carbon emissions displaced based on projected annual MWh output and latest average electricity consumption emission factor (226.3g/kWh) published by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland in its 2024 Energy Conversion and Emission Factor Statistics, published 2025.