Irish renewable energy firm, Gaelectric, has received planning approval to build a 14 Megawatt (MW) wind farm in Co Antrim.

The facility will consist of six wind turbines and will be capable of generating energy equivalent to the average electricity consumption of approximately 8,200 homes on an annual basis. It will be constructed at Carn Hill in Newtownabbey.

The proposed site is one of a number of projects that Gaelectric currently has in planning in Northern Ireland, totalling approximately 130MW.

Brendan McGrath, Chief Executive Officer of Gaelectric, welcomed the announcement saying: "We have been working on planning for a range of sites in Antrim and Tyrone for a number of years.

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"The Carn Hill approval is very welcome as it heralds the beginning of the execution of the next stage of our development in Northern Ireland.

"It was very helpful over the last several years to be able to deal with the Northern Ireland Executive which was open to the benefits of renewable energy and to finding a solution that would work for the area. We are very thankful for their support."

A locally administered community fund amounting to £210,000 for community projects will be set up. According to Gaelectric, this reiterates the company's commitment to "engaging fully with local people".

The firm is also committed to spending up to £5m in construction and operation costs with local companies.

Other benefits of the wind farm include greenhouse gas emission avoidance, enhancement of security of energy supply, provision of up to 30 construction jobs, with the opportunity for employment in the operation and management of the site and the provision of an educational resource for local schools. The project is also in line with the aspirations of Northern Ireland energy policy.

(NS/BMcC)