The owner of Tara Mines, Boliden has secured planning permission to develop a €20 million 18MW solar farm on an 84ac site adjacent to its zinc mine site in Co. Meath despite concerns over the resulting loss of agricultural land.
This follows Meath County Council granting planning permission to Boliden Tara Mines DAC for the solar farm which is to provide “a secure source of clean, renewably generated energy to the Tara Mines facility”.
The proposed development is not to connect to the national electricity grid but will, instead, connect to the existing electricity substation located within the Tara Mines site.
A spokesman for Boliden said: “As we look to safeguard the long-term future of the mine, we have been exploring ways to improve our sustainability performance and establish greater control over our energy costs.
“We note the decision that has been made by Meath County Council, and a final decision on whether to construct a solar farm will be taken at a later date.”
Concerns about loss of agri-land
One objection was lodged against the proposal by a local resident who said that the size of the solar farm “is totally inappropriate for a site so close to residential properties in the rural area of Liscarton”.
He stated that the farm involves 31,000 solar panels and added that “the visual impact of such a large industrial solar farm would fundamentally change the tranquil character of the area”.
The objector stated: “We believe solar farms should be appropriately located on already industrialised land, on rooftops or adjacent to motorways, not on productive agricultural land.
“Instead of looking out onto peaceful agricultural fields, we will be looking out at a solar farm development, a field full of glass, steel fabrications, fencing, electrical skids.
“It is very important to prevent good quality land being lost to development to allow food to be grown in Ireland and to reduce the reliance on imported food,” the objection outlined.
“The land in question opposite my residence contains crops that are grown annually. We must restrict planning decisions affecting greenfield sites, to protect good quality land from development.”
The objector said that the proposal would detrimentally impact on the character, distinctiveness, and integrity of the area.
Meath solar farm
A report on the socio-economic benefits of the development points out that Tara Mines is a very large energy consumer.
It stated that the solar farm providing power to Tara Mines would “insulate the site from large fluctuations in energy costs”.
The report also stated that as a consequence “it is likely that the financial benefits (savings) to Tara Mines arising from the operation of the proposed development will allow for significant reinvestment of these funds into the site”.
The report continued by stating that this investment “is likely to support the existing workforce and create further employment opportunities in the future”.
According to the documents, the capital spend on the solar farm is likely to be approximately €20 million “with a substantial proportion of this being spent in the local, county and regional supply chains”.
Tara Mines
The planning permission for the solar farm comes only one week after Boliden reached a proposed deal with unions for the phased reopening of Tara Mines.
Production at the Co. Meath facility was suspended last July resulting in the lay-off of 650 workers after what the company said were “significant and unsustainable financial losses” amid falling zinc prices globally.
The planning permission also follows recently filed consolidated 2023 accounts for Tara Mines Holdings DAC where directors stated that energy costs were one of the drivers behind increased operating costs last year.
The mining firm recorded pre-tax losses of €67.46 million in 2023 after revenues decreased by 61% to €98 million due to the decision to suspend production last summer along with lower zinc prices.
The group had a post-tax loss of €52.63 million after recording a corporation tax credit of €14.82 million.
The planning report lodged with the solar farm application stated that while the total extent of the proposed development site is 34ha, the actual footprint of the development will be approximately 40% of this figure.
The proposed development provides for a 10-year permission period and the operational lifespan of the project is 35 years.
The planning report concluded that the proposed development will not result in any significant effects on the environment with residual effects ranging from ‘moderate-slight’ to ‘imperceptible’.