Coillte and the ESB’s joint venture, FuturEnergy Ireland, has been given the green light by An Bord Pleanála.

The Glenard wind farm will consist of 15 turbines, each with a total tip height of between 162 metres and 173 metres.

The planning board granted permission, despite rejecting its own inspector’s findings that the project would be a significant risk to the environment.

The wind farm, purported to cost in the region of €100m, will power 56,000 homes annually and deliver a community benefit fund in the region of 8.8m