Battery energy storage plant proposed at Derrynagall or Ballydaly, Tullamore, Co. Offaly

In context

It is one of 5 battery storage applications Offaly County Council has received in the past twelve months, against 59 nationally. Of the 72 such applications decided by councils in the past three years, 78% were granted.

What happens next

The five-week window for public submissions has closed. The council normally decides within eight weeks of the application being lodged, unless it requests further information, which stops the clock.

The development description, as lodged

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

A 10 year planning permission on a site of approximately 4.9 hectares is sought. The development will consist of: A revised site design for a Battery Energy Storage System facility permitted under Ref No. 24/60002, incorporating between 28 no. and 112 no. battery containers with a difference in height of between 4m?and?5.5m. Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) units, transformers, inverters and underground cabling will also be provided. An associated electrical compound comprising: - 1 no. A High Voltage electrical yard; - 1 no. Operational and welfare building (29.7 sq m); - 1 no. Storage building (91.0 sq m); - 1 No. Switchgear Building (315 sq m); - An 18m high AGL lightening protection mast; and - An auxiliary power supply, transformer, circuit breaker, disconnector, earth switch and ancillary grid equipment. Access will be provided using an existing access track off the L1024 which will be widened on a temporary basis to allow for the delivery of abnormal loads during the construction stage. A new secondary access track connecting to the L1024 will also be provided. All ancillary site development works and infrastructure necessary to facilitate the development including the provision of a temporary construction compound, diesel generator, palisade fencing, landscaping and earth bunding, CCTV security monitoring system, surface water drainage, potable water supply, lighting and signage. Fire safety provisions which will include 2 no. fire water storage tanks; and General enabling works including boundary treatment. Certain details of the proposed development are unconfirmed in the planning application, and an opinion on unconfirmed details from Offaly County Council pursuant to Section 32H(1) of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) accompanies this planning application. The details unconfirmed in this application are battery height and number of battery containers. The range of parameters under which the battery storage will fall are specified on this site notice and in the design flexibility opinion that accompanies this application