SDG Alpha - Issue 111
Perigus Energy's Cork relaunch, Glenora's planning win, Hometree's nature finance push, and a wave of nature-based water infrastructure headline a fortnight of project momentum and green capital.
Good morning.
To start, a very brief note to mention the eight fantastic companies we’re working with on this year’s BnM Accelerate Green programme - they all played a blinder yesterday as part of the BnM Energy Conference, in Tullamore.
If you missed the event, check out our round-up post on LinkedIn, and stay tuned for further recaps of the keynotes, panels, and pitches.
On to the news round-up!
News Round-Up for Issue 111
Energy Infrastructure & Planning
SSE Renewables and FuturEnergy Ireland secure planning consent for 158MW Glenora Wind Farm in North Mayo, with 120 jobs expected during peak construction and a community benefit fund planned, though grid approvals and final investment decisions remain outstanding.
In contrast with the Glenora decision, An Coimisiún Pleanála refuses planning for 158MW Ballycar Wind Farm in Co Clare, citing unresolved aviation safety concerns around the Woodcock Hill radar station near Shannon Airport.
Amarenco secures permission for a second solar farm at Carrigogna, north of Midleton, following its earlier approval for a 47-hectare project at Castlelyons near Rathcormac, with the 8.85-hectare site expected to generate up to 8MW subject to 19 planning conditions.
Ballyteige Solar submits planning application for 28.1-hectare Derrygrogan Little Solar Farm near Tullamore, with a decision expected from Offaly County Council by 17 June and a proposed 40-year operational lifespan.
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners completes acquisition of Ørsted’s European onshore renewables business, relaunching it as Perigus Energy, a Cork-headquartered company with 826MW of operational and under-construction capacity across Ireland, Germany, the UK and Spain.
Progress Ireland publishes detailed case for lifting Ireland’s nuclear ban, arguing that small modular reactors could complement the country’s renewables-heavy energy strategy, and that Ireland’s energy planning is too complex and uncertain for the Oireachtas to be preemptively ruling out options. Policy informed by science, not vibes - how revolutionary!
Nature-Based Infrastructure & Water
NI Water completes £3.2m aerated reed bed wastewater treatment works at Monea, outside Enniskillen, improving water quality in the Monea River and Lower Lough Erne in a practical example of nature-based infrastructure deployed at community scale.
And, not be outdone, Uisce Éireann secures planning permission for a constructed wetland wastewater treatment plant at Grangemockler, Co Tipperary, designed to act as a carbon sink, enhance local biodiversity, and decommission three existing treatment plants, with construction due later in 2026.
Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council installs AI-powered bathing water quality monitoring system at Dún Laoghaire Baths, as part of the three-year, €1.2 million UrbanDip project developed with DCU and the FinEst Centre for Smart Cities.
Nature, Biodiversity & Conservation
Hometree launches Nature Finance Project to unlock private capital for farm-based nature restoration, with a pilot site planned for 2027 and ambitions to scale across multiple farms and communities as part of its goal to restore 57,000 acres of native woodland and habitat by 2035.
The European Commission opens public consultation on the Birds and Habitats Directives as part of a broader stress test assessing whether the directives can achieve their nature protection objectives cost-efficiently, with the consultation open until 4 August 2026.
Trinity College Dublin announces three fully funded PhD studentships under its €1.5 million Transforming Herbarium Project, covering river ecosystem ecology, native Irish grassland conservation, and invasive coastal species management, in partnership with the NPWS.
Fair Seas and Only One call on the public to demand marine protected area legislation, with less than 10% of Irish waters currently designated despite five years of advocacy and repeated government commitments to protect 30% of Irish seas.
Irish Architecture Foundation and 12th Field bring the Bog Bothy touring structure to Roscommon and Westmeath communities throughout summer 2026, hosting workshops and public conversations around peatland restoration and new land use futures in Ireland’s midlands.
Bioeconomy & Circular Economy
Encirc presents its BioNet circular bioeconomy project to NI Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir, outlining plans to displace fossil fuels in its glass manufacturing process using renewable gas derived from agricultural waste, while reducing methane and ammonia emissions and creating new rural employment.
5th All Island Bioeconomy Summit & Awards takes place on Tuesday 19 May at Johnstown Estate Hotel, Enfield, with Minister of State Timmy Dooley, former minister Dr Pippa Hackett, and representatives from Bank of Ireland, Údarás na Gaeltachta, UCD and the European Bioeconomy Bureau among the speakers.
Arya Satheesh from Letterkenny named European winner of The Earth Prize 2026 for Eco Purge, a biodegradable plastic that replaces conventional plastic and actively removes existing microplastics, developed with UCD, ATU Letterkenny, and the BiOrbic Bioeconomy Research Centre. The Earth Prize is run by The Earth Foundation, whose Irish founder Peter McGarry featured in Issue 42 of this newsletter.
Funding, Research & Skills
SEAI opens its 2026 National Energy RD&D Funding Programme, with applications open until 13:00 on 30 June across six priority areas, offering a maximum award of €1.25m per project — rising to €2m for eligible offshore renewable energy projects.
Tirlán and Baileys mark the fifth anniversary of their Sustainable Farming Academy by inviting co-op members to apply for a fully funded UCC Certificate in Sustainable Agricultural Practices, with expressions of interest due by 30 June.
Department of Further and Higher Education launches Offshore Renewable Energy Career Chart, to be distributed to over 727 secondary schools and FET providers nationwide as part of the Offshore Wind Skills Action Plan 2024.
Donna Gartland, CEO of Dublin-based Codema, named among finalists in the 2026 European Sustainable Energy Awards Women in Energy category, with public voting open until 31 May ahead of the awards ceremony in Brussels on 9 June.
Events
Business for Biodiversity Ireland hosts free lunchtime webinar on Tuesday 19 May (12–12:40pm, part of National Biodiversity Week Ireland) on integrating nature into business decision-making, introducing the free Discovery Track module from its Nature Strategy Accelerator Programme.
EPA Water Conference 2026 takes place 17–18 June at the Galway Bay Hotel, Salthill, with an online option available, under the theme Strengthening the Measures, covering wastewater infrastructure, catchment science, and nature restoration.
People & Organisations
Techies Go Green appoints Derek Boyle as Chief Development Officer, a newly created role focused on scaling the Dublin-based sustainability network’s membership and strategic partnerships across Ireland, the UK and beyond.
Fáilte Ireland launches Green Toolkit for Business Events, offering a 7-Step Sustainable Event Roadmap linked directly to its subvention framework and the Business Events Carbon Calculator, aligned with the Business Events 2030 strategy.
And, to close, I adored reading about this modern-day MacGyver: former electrician Barra Mulligan has spent two decades building DIY wind and river turbines from salvaged scrap, travelling Ireland to demonstrate them for educational purposes, drawing global interest from communities seeking off-grid power solutions after natural disasters.