Project Newsletter No.2October 2015

Welcome to the second project newsletter for Raheenleagh Wind Farm, Co. WicklowThe purpose of this newsletter is to keep you up to date with the construction of Raheenleagh Wind Farm.

COMMUNITY BENEFIT FUND KEEP IN TOUCH

Who will benefi t

The Community Fund will prioritise projects and initiatives that support and benefi t the area surrounding Raheenleagh Wind Farm. It is available to community and voluntary groups and organisations with a charitable status.

• The fund is now open to receive applications from the local community.

• The value of the fund has been set according to the maximum electricity generated by the wind farm.

• All applicants will be notifi ed of the outcome of their application by the end of the year.

• The Community Fund will be operated and administered with the support of a Grant Making Organisation on behalf of ESB and Coillte.

Raheenleagh Wind Farm has launched a community fund which will be available each year over 25 years to fund local community projects and initiatives.

Our Community Liaison Offi ce Noel Gallagher is available to meet and discuss residents concerns in relation to any part of the construction of the wind farm including; cable installation, construction deliveries, traffi c road restrictions, community fund and alternative walk routes.

If you have any queries, please contact:Phone: 01 703 8404Email: raheenleaghwindfarm@esb.ie

More information is available on our website:www.raheenleaghwindfarm.ie

Noel GallagherLiaison Offi cer

How to apply

The application form for the Community Fund is available on www.windfarmcommunityfunds.ie/raheenleagh/. If you wish to make a written application this can also be facilitated. Please contact our Community Liaison Offi cer, Noel Gallagher on 01 703 8404 for more details.

We will hold an information evening on the Community Fund on Tuesday 6th October at 7.30pm in the Woodenbridge Hotel, Vale of Avoca, Arklow.

Members of the team will be on hand to provide information and answer any questions you may have on how to make an application to the fund.

We will provide support to the community and voluntary groups applying for funding throughout the application process.

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WHAT IS BEING BUILT? TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

June 2015 Construction commenced on Raheenleagh Wind Farm . This included the construction of the turbine base foundations and the installation of ducting from the site to Arklow.

September 2015 Community Benefit Scheme opening for applications from local community and voluntary groups.

February 2016 Main construction works complete including underground cable installation.

April 2016 Commence delivery of wind turbines to site (6 weeks).

October 2016 Completion of the wind farm construction works

December 2016 Raheenleagh forest will resume its ‘open forest’ policy and will be accessible to the public.

PROJECT TIMELINE

Construction of the Raheenleagh Wind Farm commenced in June 2015. The project has four main elements:

• Construction of turbine foundations and access roads within the Raheenleagh forest.

• The installation of 11 wind turbines at the wind farm site.

• Construction of an electrical sub-station

• The installation of an underground cable which will connect to the existing electricity grid in Arklow.

The Raheenleagh Wind Farm is a joint venture between ESB and Coillte and is being constructed on the Coillte Raheenleagh forest in Co. Wicklow. This joint venture between ESB and Coillte is an equal partnership.

The Raheenleagh Wind Farm will:

• Provide clean electricity for homes, farms, hospitals, schools and businesses in Ireland.

• Have a capacity to produce 35.2 Megawatts (MW) of electricity which will supply the equivalent of approximately 22,500 households.

• Develop the local amenity by upgrading existing forest tracks to a higher standard.

• Improve the local economy by supporting local businesses during construction.

• Contribute towards the Government’s target of sourcing 40% of electricity from renewable sources by 2020.

• Support the transition from reliance on imported, polluting, fossil fuels to cleaner, locally-generated renewable energy.

ACCESS TO RAHEENLEAGH FOREST DURING CONSTRUCTION

For the public’s health and safety, Coillte’s open forest policy will be suspended in Raheenleagh Forest for the duration of the project.

During the temporary closure of Raheenleagh forest, Coillte has provided alternative walk routes situated in close proximity: Ballyfad Wood and Carrig Wood. Coillte has completed upgrading the existing access tracks within these woods to enhance the amenities. The location of the alternative walk routes are highlighted by signage at the entrance to Raheenleagh forest, in the map below and this infomation is also available on our project website, www.raheenleaghwindfarm.ie

Existing tracks within Raheenleagh forest will be upgraded, improving both the existing amenity and recreation aspects of the forest walks into the future. Coillte will reinstate access to Raheenleagh forest as soon as possible following construction works.

CARRIG WALK

SITE BOUNDARY

CARRIG WALK

MAIN SITE ENTRANCE

BALLYFAD WALK

Ordnance Survey Ireland Licence No. EN 0023715-19Copyright Ordnance Survey Ireland Government of Ireland

LEGEND:

ENTRANCE

ALTERNATIVE WALK

TURBINESCALE 1:25,000

Meters

0 500 1000

Alternative walking sites within Coillte forests

Every eff ort will be made to minimise disruption to local residents and road users throughout the construction of the wind farm.

MAIN SITE ENTRANCE

SITE BOUNDARY

DEFINED ACCESS ROUTE

TURBINE LOCATIONLEGEND:

Ordnance Survey Ireland Licence No. EN 0023715-19Copyright Ordnance Survey Ireland Government of Ireland

During construction local access will be maintained for residents and regular road users. A traffi c management system is in place to minimise disruption and to allow the works to be completed safely.

We are installing passing bays to minimise disruption during deliveries to the site.

CONCRETE DELIVERIES: TURBINE DELIVERIES:

Concrete deliveries, for the turbine foundations, have commenced and will continue typically once a week for three months. All concrete deliveries will follow an agreed designated transport route, which is illustrated below.

Turbine deliveries to the wind farm site will begin at the end of April 2016 and will last approximately six weeks. These deliveries will be intermittent and updates will be available on our project website closer to the time. All turbine deliveries will be made via the project’s designated transport route , which is illustrated below.

Designated Concrete and Wind Turbine Transport Route