An application has finally been lodged to officially decommission the Derrybrien Wind Farm in South Galway.
The controversial wind farm was the subject of legal issues spanning two decades that cost Ireland around €20m in EU fines.
The Derrybrien saga began in 2003, when a landslide at the site caused enormous environmental damage, including 50 thousand fish kills.
An EU court later found the 70 turbine windfarm was built without a proper environmental impact assessment.
That prompted a massive multi-million euro fine, and a daily penalty of €15 thousand for as long as it failed to meet standards.
By the time the windfarm stopped generating electricity in 2022, Ireland had accrued around €20m in fines.
Various high-level campaigns to save the windfarm amounted to nothing, and more recently it's been generally accepted that Derrybrien has long passed the point of no return.
The ESB has now moved to close the lid on the saga, by finally applying to An Coimisiun Pleanala (formerly An Bord Pleanala) for permission to decommission the windfarm.
It's also lodged another application to retain some elements of the development, including concrete foundations and access tracks.
It's unlikely a decision will be made before next year.
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