SSE to submit planning application for Crumhach wind farm

After over two decades of successful operations, SSE is proposing to redevelop Kingsmountain and Dunneill wind farms with the proposed Crumhach wind farm project, which will also include additional development on adjacent greenfield lands.

SSE has a long-standing track record of operating wind energy assets in County Sligo. For more than two decades it has been generating clean, affordable, and reliable homegrown electricity for Irish homes and businesses from the 25 MW Kingsmountain wind farm which entered operation in 2003 and from the neighbouring 11 MW Dunneill wind farm which entered operation in 2010.

If consented and constructed as proposed, Crumhach wind farm would replace the existing wind farms with a new wind farm with an installed capacity of up to 102 MW, almost tripling the existing renewable energy capacity at the site. The development would comprise up to 17 modern wind turbines, replacing the 23 turbines currently in operation, and a new 110 kV onsite substation. The project would connect to Ireland’s national grid through the existing grid connection at the Cunghill 110 kV substation, south-east of the site, as well as via a new grid connection route to the Srananagh 220 kV substation in East Sligo. A separate planning application will be brought forward in due course for this new grid connection route.

The planning application follows a comprehensive programme of local engagement and consultation with residents and stakeholders in West Sligo, which began in early 2024 and included two community consultation events in Dromore West and Templeboy in July 2025.

Delivery of Crumhach wind farm could support up to 100 jobs at peak construction, with the operational wind farm also expected to support up to three full time roles.

The proposed Crumhach wind farm development would also extend SSE’s well-established commitment to community benefit in Sligo. Since 2004, SSE has contributed over €650 000 to local groups from the existing Kingsmountain and Dunneill Community Benefit Fund.

If consented and delivered, Crumhach wind farm would establish a new community benefit fund during the wind farm’s first year of commercial operation. In line with the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment’s Community Benefit Rulebook (2025), funding would support projects and initiatives to benefit local communities surrounding the wind farm. The value of the annual fund would be linked to the productivity of the wind farm and calculated at €2 for every megawatt hour of electricity produced. Based on Crumhach’s projected output, the fund would be expected to deliver multimillion-euro community benefits over the lifetime of the wind farm, representing a significant increase in funding for local communities from SSE’s existing wind farms in West Sligo.

Crumhach wind farm would also be a significant contributor to commercial rates, helping further improve local infrastructure and services in County Sligo more widely.

Ghislain Demeuldre, Ireland Head of Onshore Wind, Solar and Battery Development at SSE Renewables, said: “Our plans for the proposed Crumhach wind farm represent the next generation of wind power in West Sligo, building on more than two decades of delivering clean, homegrown electricity from Kingsmountain and Dunneill. By redeveloping these two sites with a new single wind farm capable of generating almost triple the existing renewable energy capacity at the site, we can ensure that Sligo continues to play a vital role in Ireland’s renewable energy future.

“Projects like Crumhach are critical to strengthening energy security and reducing reliance on imported fossil fuels in an increasingly uncertain world. If approved, we are committed to ensuring the project continues our strong track record of sup-porting local jobs, investment and long-term community benefit in Sligo.”

Final delivery of the project would be subject to SSE securing planning consent for the wind farm, as well as a separate consent for a new grid connection route, a commercial route to market, and a final investment decision.

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Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/wind/05082026/sse-to-submit-planning-application-for-crumhach-wind-farm/