Local Plans in Ireland - ESHA

Spatial Plan for Small Hydro
Development in Cork County
Bill Griffin
5 th Thematic Network Workshop on Small Hydro
Lausanne 2005

Presentation Structure
Hydro Power in Ireland
Hydro Power in Cork County
Planning Process in Ireland
Spatial Plan
Spatial Plan as a Surveying Tool
Future Work

Description of Cork County
Largest County in
Ireland
Area: 7,453km2
Population: 294,000
(1996)
Approx. 11% 1 % of
State’s Population
Large food processing
& pharmaceutical
industries

Hydro in Ireland
528MW installed capacity
26MW could be considered Small Hydro
Studies indicate between 32 & 76 MW
of potential small hydro sites
concentrated in mountainous areas

Hydro in Cork County*
Location Operator Capacity
Innishcarra ESB 19
Carrigadhroid ESB 8
Glenlough Glenlough Generations Ltd 0.36
Borlin Hibernian Hydro (ESB) 0.37
Slaheney Hibernian Hydro (ESB) 0.49
Owenbeg Owenbeg Natural Power Co. 0.8
Total 29.02
*Refers only to operators with a generation license from CER

Studies into Small Hydro
Total Renewable Energy Resource in Ireland,
ESBI, ETSU,1996
Report Report estimating the resources of different
Renewable Energy Sources(RES) including
biomass, wind, hydro etc.
Identified Identified in excess of 500 sites with a potential
installed capacity of over 40MW
Small Scale Hydro-electric Hydro electric Potential of Ireland,
Dept. of Energy, 1985
Identified 568 sites with a potential installed capacity of
38MW
Both studies took economic conditions into
consideration at the time, limiting potential.

Hydro Potential in Cork County
Total Renewable Energy Resource in
Ireland, ESBI, ETSU,1996
67 67 sites identified, total capacity 6,168kW
Small Scale Hydro-electric Hydro electric Potential of
Ireland, Dept. of Energy, 1985
10 10 sites operating, total capacity 173kW
32 32 sites identified, potential capacity 2,126kW

Historical Mill Sites
Identified by an analysis of National Monuments
Register
190 sites identified with “mills”
190 sites identified with “mills”
Mostly corn and cloth related
Advantages
Civil work partially completed
Reduced capital costs & reduced payback time
Disadvantages
Increased heritage issues
Fisheries may still object even to existing weirs and
mill-races mill races

Principle Barriers to SHP Development in
Land Ownership
Ireland
Leasing agreements, community share schemes
Planning Permission
Guidelines for EIS required
Fisheries
Guidelines for
Water abstraction rates or minimum water coverages
Conditions to ensure development is nonintrusive
Electricity trading
Trading Price
Autogeneration
Grid Connection

The Planning Process in Ireland
Ireland currently operates a discretionary system
Developments considered against policy criteria, criteria,
which
are set out in Development Plans, Plans,
revised every 6 years
Local Authority given discretion to refuse applications,
applications,
but their decisions can be appealed to National Planning
Authority
Criteria usually very general to allow for local
considerations
Search areas are not defined

Changes to Planning Legislation
The Planning & Development Bill, Bill,
2000, introduced
two new ideas
1. Sustainable development
Local Authorities required to draw up maps
indicating areas which are suitable for different
forms of development, e.g. housing, wind farms,
commercial, etc.
2. Integrated approach
Planning policy must be framed in relation to
national and regional development plans

Stuatory Bodies Influencing Planning
Regional Fisheries Boards
Protection of fisheries & maintanence of stocks
Environmental Protection Agency
Dilution rates for existing discharges to the
watercourse
Dept. of Environment, Heritage & Local
Government
Parks & Wildlife
Architecture
Parks & Wildlife
Architecture
Archeology
Office of Public Works
Flood Management
Office of Public Works

Purpose of plan is to
Spatial Plan
Increase awarness of small hydro potential
Provide more certaintity to both developer & planner
Identify on-going on going barriers and attempt to address them
Reduce the need for exhaustive & costly EIS
The draft spatial plan includes
Detailed applications procedure
No-go No areas to be identified by fisheries board
go areas to be identified by fisheries board
Not yet approved by the Minister
Heritage to supply document on restoration of historical
mill sites
There is on hierarchy on importance with respect to National
Monuments and will be judged on a site-by site by-site site basis

This is a research document & in no way represents the policies of Cork County Council

Blackwater Catchment with Planning Designations and Identified
Mill & Hydro Sites

Detail of Fermoy with Planning Designations & Identified Sites

Spatial Plan as a Surveying Tool
Dept. of Energy Study 1985 provides a method of
accessing energy potential of sites
Utilises Flow Duration Curves for individual
catchment areas
Curves developed based upon readings from
over 185 stations nationwide
Curves being updated and available electronically
by EPA as part of Water Framework Directive.
Estimated +20% error based on site realised
compared to surveyed

Flow Duration Curve Regions
for Cork Region

Public Consultation Spatial Plan
Copy was sent to all members of consultation
committee
Plan was posted on Council’s website and
comment invited - Plan available for viewing
at Energy Agency’s offices in Mallow.
Still some outstanding issues to be resolved
with Fisheries and Heritage

On-Going Work
Incorporation of Fisheries Designations
– Design Guidelines and Prefered
Locations.
Digitising Flow Duration Regions
Posting Interactive GIS version of the
Plan on the Council website

On-Going Work
Cork County Council’s Planners have
indicated that the spatial plan may be
incorporated into the next overall
development plan once Fisheries, EPA,
OPW and Dept. of Environment,
Heritage & Local Government’s
concerns have been addressed.

Further Information
Bill Griffin,
Cork County Energy Agency,
Mallow,
Co. Cork,
Ireland
Tel: +353 (22) 43610
Fax: +353 (22) 43678
Email: mallowre@eircom.net