Application made for additional seven wind turbines in Co Londonderry
An application has been submitted to expand a Co Londonderry wind farm.
It would take the 13-turbine Evishagaran Wind Farm to the east of Dungiven up to 20 turbines.
The application is from Italian multi-energy company ERG.
It has been lodged with the Department for Infrastructure, not Causeway Coast and Glens District Council, something which often happens for large-scale or regionally-significant proposed developments.
The wind farm stands off 175 Gelvin Road on the slopes of Benbradagh hill, roughly three-and-a-half miles east of Dungiven.
A press release announcing the move this evening said: “Following consultation feedback and technical assessment, the layout has been refined to maximise the use of existing access tracks where possible and to avoid deep peat and priority habitats.
"The application includes a substation and construction compound to facilitate connection to the grid.”
The applicants state that the extra seven turbines “would generate enough low‑carbon renewable electricity to power up to 25,000 homes in Northern Ireland each year and offset approximately 34,000 tonnes of CO2 annually”.
It added: “It is expected that jobs will be created during the construction and operational phase, supporting the local supply chain and sustainable economic growth.”
ERG also runs the nearby Craiggore and Corlacky windfarms.