New Powering Kerry report shows Kerry wind farms creating jobs and investing in the local economy

Powering Kerry report shows €5 million paid by local wind farms in rates to Kerry County Council
every year

A new report from Wind Energy Ireland, Powering Kerry, confirms The Kingdom is Ireland’s number one source of renewable energy. It also highlights that wind farms in Kerry are creating jobs, supporting rural communities and investing in the local economy.

Yvonne O’Brien, of Wind Energy Ireland, said: “Kerry wind farms are playing an enormous part in reducing our CO2 emissions by 4 million tonnes a year. Today’s report shows that as well as being essential to the fight against climate change wind farms are increasingly central to the economy of counties like Kerry.”

Among the report’s key findings are:
➢ Wind farms in Kerry pay approximately €5 million annually in commercial rates, making up approximately 10 per cent of the county’s entire commercial rates budget;
➢ Seventy people are employed in Tralee in the headquarters of Enercon, one of the world’s largest turbine manufacturers, while hundreds more jobs are supported throughout the county including at the Astellas Pharma plant in Killorglin;
➢ Community groups in Kerry received more than €300,000 in funding from wind farms in 2019 and this figure is expected to rise in the coming years.

Yvonne O’Brien continued: “Powering Kerry tells the stories of the people, communities and businesses in Kerry benefitting from the wind industry. The funds provided in rates alone help Kerry County Council to provide vital services to repair roads, keep libraries open and support economic development.

“But the report also looks to the future, when offshore wind energy will be the key driver of Ireland’s economic strategy, and the opportunities there for harbours like Fenit and not far along the estuary in Shannon-Foynes.”

Powering Kerry jobs
Powering Kerry tells some of the stories of the local jobs created for local people by the wind industry. Enercon, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of wind turbines, has had its national headquarters in Tralee for more than 15 years. In that time it has doubled its workforce to 70 fulltime employees and it is about to expand later this month.

Noranne Stack is Operations Manager with Enercon Wind Farm Services: “I graduated from UCC in 2008 from a class of 30; most of them moved permanently to the UK or further afield to find work.

“If it weren’t for Enercon and wind industry jobs in Kerry I would have been one of them. Instead, I have been able to buy a home and start my family in my native county. I know my story is similar to that of many of my colleagues in the Enercon team in Tralee.”

Mark Coleman, from Kilcummin, works for SSE Grid Services: “I think you’d be surprised by how many people in Kerry are actually employed in the wind industry. If you pass my house and see me working on the laptop you’d never know what I was working at! I know two other families in Kilcummin who have people employed in the wind industry.”

Powering Kerry communities
In 2019 local wind farms provided more than €300,000 in direct support to community groups across Kerry.

Yvonne O’Brien explained: “This figure is going to increase a lot in the next few years as large new wind farms like Grousemount open their community benefit funds and as the payments to local communities increase under the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme.”

Rockmount Care Centre in Kilgarvan provides nursing care to those living in the Kilgarvan and the greater Kenmare area. ESB’s COVID-19 wind farm community fund helped ensure hot meals are delivered to the elderly and vulnerable in the community and to buy protective equipment.

Mary Hussey said: “We couldn’t do meals on wheels before we got the grant, now we are feeding 30 vulnerable people a day. I can’t get it across strongly enough how much this has helped people with dementia, mental ill-health or other vulnerabilities. The service is a lifeline.”

Powering Kerry’s future
Over the next 10 years Ireland will connect a new generation of offshore wind farms, providing enormous amounts of clean energy to power homes, farms and businesses. Kerry is perfectly situated to lead the way and gain economically from this.

Fenit / Tralee Port has the potential to service offshore wind farms and, should the opportunity be grasped, this has the potential to create 80 jobs.

Only minutes from North Kerry, Shannon Foynes Port, with the right investment and support could openitself up to commercial and job creation opportunities associated with the construction of offshore wind farms.

Yvonne O’Brien concluded: “Wind energy is powering Kerry’s economy through commercial rates, development fees, landowner payments and buying supplies and services in the county.

“In the coming years, as we work with local communities to develop new projects, on and offshore, we are looking forward to making an even bigger contribution to the county’s economy.”