SSE has commenced construction on a new nine-turbine wind farm at Leanamore, Co Kerry.

Leanamore Wind Farm will have a permitted export capacity of 18MW, enough to power 9,500 homes.

The turbines are scheduled to arrive on site in August 2017 with the wind farm expected to be operational by January 2018. The wind farm will be operated directly by SSE's own locally-based team.

A year after Leanamore Wind Farm becomes operational, SSE will open a Community Fund programme, making annual contributions to local groups within a 20km radius of the wind farm, with an emphasis on energy efficiency and sustainability projects.

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Seamus Lynch, SSE's Project Manager for Leanamore, said: "We're delighted to be getting the project underway. With the wind farm due to be fully operational this time next year, there is a lot of work to do in the next six months in advance of turbine delivery.

"As with all SSE projects, we're working to deliver Leanamore to the highest standards, with safety as our number one focus at all times.

"We're looking forward to building a strong and lasting relationship with the local community, and we're committed to delivering economic, social and environmental benefits for the area. We will also engage with local residents throughout the project to keep any disruption to a minimum."

(JP/MH)