Plans for a new electrical substation to connect a 122MW solar farm in Tipperary to the national grid have been approved by An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP).
Soleirtricity Lisheen Ltd applied to ACP seeking permission to add a 110kV electrical substation to the Lisheen Mine site, near Moyne, which is home to the previously approved Lisheen Solar development.
An underground grid connection, cabling and associated works would also be carried out under the plans.
Since the closure of the mine in 2015, the site has become a hub for sustainable and circular economy initiatives, and is known as the National Bioeconomy Campus.
Both the substation and solar farm will have a proposed operational lifespan of 40 years, after which a decision will be made on whether the site should be decommissioned, planning files show.
Tipperary County Council had raised concerns over the location of the proposed substation, saying it would occupy a highly visible area at the core of the campus.
The council said there were potentially more suitable locations elsewhere on the site, including areas closer to the existing Lisheen substation.
The local authority also added that it must be ensured that the development does not compromise or inhibit the future development of adjoining lands.
Despite these concerns, the inspector for An Coimisiún Pleanála did not agree, saying that the substation would “read as a moderate addition to the wider developing campus”.
“Visually, it will appear as an extension to the existing buildings and existing electrical infrastructure on the site, noting the existing substation building to the north of the site,” the inspector added.
The inspector said that the proposed substation “would not give rise to excessive traffic generation, traffic hazard or endanger the safety of other road users, either during the construction or operational phase”.
“The proposed development also does not give rise to any significant negative residential amenity, archaeological / heritage, drainage or ecological impacts,” they added.
Because of this, they recommended that planning permission should be granted, subject to 11 conditions.
Included among the conditions are that clearing of vegetation on the site can only be done between September 1 and the end of February, outside of the main bird nesting season.
Other conditions require the council to approve details of materials before construction begins, while noise generated during the works must not cause reasonable annoyance to noise-sensitive locations nearby.
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