£2.2m windfall for community projects in Swatragh area

The Brockaghboy Wind Farm Community Fund will be managed by both the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland and Brockaghboy Windfarm Ltd, and will be available for the anticipated lifetime of the Brockaghboy Wind Farm - meaning that an index linked £90,000 of annual funding is set to be distributed to community projects within the catchment of the funded area over the next 25 years.

Grants from the fund, are also expected to be made available to communities hosting infrastructure associated with the interconnecting grid line of the wind farm.

Charities, Community Development Groups, Sports, Recreation and Youth Clubs as well as Primary and Secondary Schools are being urged to apply for grants from the fund which has been launched to mark the milestone achievement of the first turbine foundation being laid.

The fund is intended to support a wide range of activities including sports and recreation, health and well-being, environment and conservation, energy efficiency and sustainability, culture and heritage, education, children, young people and older people.

Funding will be prioritised for projects including those which benefit people experiencing disadvantage and those which increase the use of existing community space as well as projects which encourage collaboration among local groups.

The first tranche of funding will be opened for applications from Wednesday, October 26, until 1pm Wednesday November 30, and shall be independently managed and allocated by the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland.

Full guidance and link to online application can be accessed via the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland website www.communityfoundationni.org

The £50m Brockaghboy Wind Farm is currently being built in partnership between Belfast based developer TCI Renewables and project owners ERG Renew – a leading Italian player in the European wind energy market.

The 19 turbine, 47.5 MW Brockaghboy Wind Farm will generate enough electricity to sustain the electrical demands of approximately 27,000 homes – the equivalent of powering 43% of all domestic properties in the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough.