Lenalea Community Benefit Fund distributes €30,000 to Donegal communities

A total of 14 local good causes in Donegal have benefited from a preliminary round of funding from the recently established Community Benefit Fund for Lenalea Wind Farm.

In March this year, owners SSE and FuturEnergy Ireland opened applications for initial funding from the Lenalea Community Benefit Fund. This first round of funding comes from the renewable electricity produced by Lenalea Wind Farm during its first three months of operation, from January to March 2024.

Now, SSE and FuturEnergy Ireland have announced that over €30,000 has been distributed from this preliminary funding round to 14 community-based organisations in central Donegal.

Lenalea Wind Farm is situated around 10km southwest of Letterkenny in Donegal’s rural uplands and entered commercial operation in late 2023.

The 30MW wind farm was developed and constructed through a €40 million joint capital investment by 50:50 partners SSE Renewables and FuturEnergy Ireland and is supported by a long-term Corporate Power Purchase Agreement (CPPA) with Microsoft. The power produced at Lenalea supports Microsoft’s goal of powering its Irish data centre operations with 100 per cent renewable energy. SSE Renewables operates Lenalea Wind Farm on behalf of the SSE and FuturEnergy Ireland partnership.

Lenalea Wind Farm produces much-needed renewable energy from its seven onshore wind turbines for supply to Ireland’s electricity grid, making a vital contribution to the country’s renewable energy and decarbonisation targets and assisting security of supply goals.

In addition to delivering climate action and energy security benefits, Lenalea also brings a positive impact to the region through a substantial community benefit fund. 

The Lenalea Community Benefit Fund supports initiatives that bring social, environmental and economic improvements to central Donegal and is aligned to UN Sustainable Development Goals. Following an extensive community consultation process supported by Donegal Local Development Company, a Community Benefit Committee composed of local representatives was established to develop and agree the funding strategy for the Lenalea fund. This Committee oversees funding decisions alongside the fund administrators to ensure the Lenalea fund supports impactful projects in the local area.

Funding is awarded to local community groups and not-for-profit organisations located within 15km of Lenalea, with priority given to those projects within 10km ensuring those closest to the wind farm see the greatest benefit. 

A total of €30,500 has been granted in benefit funding to 14 local projects backed by community groups, social enterprises, charities and sports clubs. These projects include an outdoor gym for adults in Convoy, a native wild pollinator-friendly garden in Glenswilly, electrical upgrades for Donegal Mountain Rescue’s Incident Control Unit and a rugby programme for schools across Finn Valley, Convoy, Drumkeen and Cloghan. 

Future funding rounds from the Lenalea Community Benefit Fund will be distributed annually and will be based on the amount of energy produced by the wind farm on a ‘per megawatt hour’ basis during the previous year. This means that fund totals could rise to up to €150,000 annually depending on the productivity of the wind farm. 

It is estimated that the 2025 Lenalea Community Benefit Fund, which covers April 2024 to March 2025 inclusive and opens for applications next month, will be around €90,000. 

“At SSE, sharing the value of our wind farms with the local communities that host them is at the heart of what we do,” said Vicky Boden, Senior Community Investment Manager at SSE Renewables. “That’s why we’re delighted to have awarded the first round of community benefit funding from Lenalea Wind Farm. This funding supports 14 excellent local projects to make a positive impact in the region. Our thanks go to the community groups, schools, and charities in central Donegal that have engaged with this funding round to make it a success, and also to the members of the local Community Benefit Committee whose contribution to the selection process has been invaluable.”

“FuturEnergy Ireland is deeply committed to supporting local communities near our projects and one way we do this is through community benefit funds,” said Anne Walsh, Stakeholder Manager at FuturEnergy Ireland. “We are proud to see the first round of funding for Lenalea Wind Farm distributed to so many worthy local causes. It was hugely satisfying to see the high quality of applications, which clearly demonstrates how valuable community benefit funding from local wind farms is to communities throughout Ireland.

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“This could not have happened without community spirit, which led to the formation of the Fund Committee. The professionalism, dedication and proactive engagement by the Committee is a credit to everyone involved. We are now looking forward to receiving applications for the second round of funding, which should bring another €90,000 to support the local area.”

The organisations and projects are: Convoy Community and Environmental Committee, development an outdoor gym area for adults in Convoy; Cooladawson Local and District Development Association (CLADDA), enhancing the Gort Scíth Picnic Area into a Biodiversity Site; Donegal Mountain Rescue, upgrading electrical and data systems in the Incident Control Unit Vehicle; Dooish National School, erecting a 16x24ft polytunnel in the school grounds; Drumkeen United Football Club, replacement netting behind goals on the pitch; Finn Valley Rugby Club, funding for a rugby programme in local schools in Finn Valley, Convoy, Drumkeen, and Cloghan; Gleann Fhinne Cuideachta Faoi Theorainn Ráthaíochta, purchasing lift chairs and tables for incapacitated people attending Cloghan Day Centre; Glenswilly National School, creating a native wild pollinator friendly garden at the school for school and community use; Letterkenny Community Centre CLG, purchasing chairs for use by community groups; North West Special Olympics Club, purchasing washing facilities and storage for sports equipment; St. Ninian's Parish, Convoy, installation of electric hand dryers in the community hall; 6th Donegal (Stranorlar) Scout Group, purchasing a new entrance hall door for the Scouts Den; Twin Towns Boxing Club, purchasing new competition head guards; Welchtown School, installation of a perimeter fence around the primary school sports activity area.