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Barnahely Battery Storage Project - Community Benefit
Barnahely Community Benefit Fund
ENGIE recognises that in the areas where it operates the local community should benefit as much as possible. We are therefore proposing a €200 per megawatt (MW) per year (index linked) community benefit fund for community projects within 2km of the Barnahely Battery Storage Project, which will be paid on commissioning and then throughout until decommissioning of the project. As a 20MW facility, this could see the creation of a fund to the value of approximately €4,000 per annum to benefit community-based projects.
Funding will be made available to community-based projects which benefit education, domestic renewable energy projects, energy saving/efficiency measures in people’s homes, sport and recreation projects and/or other projects of benefit to the local community.
The management of the fund would follow industry best practice principles: a Community Benefit Fund Committee would be established which would ensure residents closest to the scheme are directly involved in the distribution of funding. We welcome suggestions from the community as to how such a fund could be used for local community projects.
For more information and to suggest ways in which your community might benefit from this funding, please contact us by clicking here.
In addition to the direct financial benefit, ENGIE proposes to add additional value to the community by:
- Providing education materials to the local Shanbally National School;
- Making available an annual production statement which will inform the community of the amount of time each year the battery has operated;
- Committing to source all construction materials, where available, within County Cork;
- Using local contractors for civil works, where available;
- Using local trades for ancillary works such as landscaping and grounds keeping;
- Committing to working with local and national charitable organisations in reducing Ireland's fuel poverty.