• April 8, 2026

Restoration ongoing at the Galway Wind Park

2025 was a busy year at the Galway Wind Park as Permission was sought from the competent authorities (Galway County Council, Forest Service) for habitat restoration at our project site. 

 

Prior to works being granted onsite, a habitat restoration plan was prepared by external consultants which detailed how tree felling, tree removal, drain blocking, and surface re-contouring could be done in an environmentally responsible way, with regard to the surrounding environment and nearby Natura 2000 network.

 

A detailed map of the drainage network onsite was generated using LiDAR data.

 

These data were used to plan the exact location of drainage dams, as well as the quantity and types of dam. The preferred method for the project area is peat dams, with peat extracted from the sides of the drain itself. However, where the surface gradient is high, the flow of water through the drain is high or where drains are located in sensitive areas of peatland that may be unduly damaged by machinery, plastic dams may be used as they are resistant to erosion and enable an overflow notch to be used. In areas of erosion (peat hagging), coir logs will be used to slow water flow and inhibit peat erosion. 

 

A felling licence was applied for from the Forest Service and Planning Permission for restoration works was applied for from Galway County Council. Both applications were granted in the summer of 2025.

 

Restoration works began at the Galway Wind Park on the 25th September 2025. At the time of writing, tree felling is complete onsite (Figure 3) and drain blocking is ongoing. 

 

Monitoring of environmental parameters is ongoing, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from monitoring stations are recorded on a monthly basis. The data will allow us to see how restoration works onsite will effect hydrology and GHG emissions onsite.