Mannok doubles down on solar investment

Mannok is accelerating its green energy push after lodging plans for a second and significantly larger solar farm beside its cement works in Ballyconnell - just weeks after securing permission for its first major such development.

The new proposal, lodged with Cavan County Council, will see the company develop a 16.5-hectare solar farm on lands to the west of the Mannok Cement Works, almost double the size of the recently approved scheme to the south.

The development, if given the go-ahead, will span lands in the townlands of Mucklagh, Gortoorlan and Snugborough, with a planning decision due on or before St Patrick’s Day.

If approved, the solar farm will operate for 40 years, after which the entire site must be fully decommissioned and restored to agricultural use.

Access to the site is proposed via the private Swanlinbar haul road, connecting directly to the R205 Ballyconnell-Derrylin road.

An Archaeological Impact Assessment report and ecological surveys have been filed as part of the planning process. No recorded monuments or protected structures were found on the subject lands. Although, Blackstaff Ecology identified a range of protected species using the area including bats, smooth newts, badgers and pine martens. However, that report concluded the development can proceed with series of robust mitigation measures in place.

A full Construction and Environmental Management Plan will also regulate noise, water protection, refuelling procedures and waste handling, during the construction phase; while surface water will be managed through permeable tracks and existing drainage.

The new application follows planning approval just before Christmas for Mannok’s first solar farm south of the cement works- a 9.3-hectare development featuring over 12,600 solar panels that will directly power the cement plant.

That project alone is expected to save 1,243 tonnes of CO2 per year, equivalent to planting nearly 89,000 trees, according to reports submitted on Mannok’s behalf.