Offaly County Council grants permission for 137-hectare solar farm at Srah Wood and Greenhills, Rhode, Co. Offaly

In context

It is one of 28 solar farm applications Offaly County Council has received in the past twelve months, against 335 nationally. Of the 573 such applications decided by councils in the past three years, 92% were granted.

What happens next

The applicant, or anyone who made a submission on the application, can appeal the decision to An Coimisiún Pleanála within four weeks of 6 October 2025. If no appeal is lodged, the council’s decision stands and a final grant issues.

The development description, as lodged

Verbatim from the Offaly County Council register. This is the source for every figure in the story above.

Amendments to the development permitted under Offaly County Council Planning Register Reference 20/494 to: (i) revise the layout of the permitted development including solar array and inverter/transformer units; (ii) increase the height of the permitted solar array from 2.914 metres to up to 3.3 metres; (iii) provide for variable spacings between the solar array rows; (iv) provide for varying solar array tilt-angles; (v) alter the design of the electrical inverter/transformer units and reduce the number of electrical inverter/transformer units from 27 no. to 14 no.; (vi) revise the alignment of approximately 250 metres of existing on-site access tracks and construct approximately 7,500 metres of access track; (vii) relocate and redesign the permitted battery energy storage system compound including an increase in the compound footprint from approximately 3,850 square metres to approximately 10,100 square metres; (viii) alter the design of the battery energy storage system and increase the number of battery energy storage system and ancillary containers from 38 no. to 83 no.; (ix) alter Condition No. 6(b) to provide for the planting of screening vegetation at the end of the construction phase; (x) alter Condition No. 5(a) to provide for the decommissioning of the development no later than 40-years from the date of commissioning; and, (xi) all associated site development, drainage, access and reinstatement works. This planning application is accompanied by a Natura Impact Statement (NIS)