Grousemount Windfarm, Co. Kerry

Flynn Furney Environmental Consultants Ltd was chosen by ESB/Kerry Wind Power Ltd. as the Environmental Clerk of Works (ECOW) for this project. This involved the overseeing and implementation of various environmental controls during the construction phase of the 38-turbine windfarm.

FFEC monitored, guided and reported the installation of environmental controls during the construction of the windfarm, associated access roads, drainage and turbine hardstands. Some roles included conducting environmental briefings and toolbox talks, co-ordinating the installation of environmental control measures such as silt-defences and settlement ponds, and liaising with visiting ecologists during monitoring of at-risk species (e.g. White-tailed Sea Eagle, Kerry Slug, Salmonids, Red Grouse, Freshwater Pearl Mussel).

The project consisted of the construction of 38 turbine hardstands, >20km of access roads through heath and rock in the uplands above Kilgarvan, as well as the installation of about 40 culverts across three mountains. The Roughty River, which rises primarily within the footprint of the windfarm, hosts substantial populations of Salmonids and Freshwater Pearl Mussel. The windfarm was commissioned in the summer of 2020, generating close to 100mW for the national grid.