The installation of 16 turbines at SSE’s Athea Wind Farm is now under way, following the erection of the first turbine at the West Limerick wind farm. The plant will be powered by a combination of GE 2.75MW and 1.6MW machines, with tip heights between 125 and 115 metres. The 34MW project, which is being constructed by SSE Renewables, remobilised in late July following a scheduled break during the local bird-breeding season. The company expects that all 16 turbines will be installed by November and, when complete, the wind farm will generate enough electricity to supply almost 17,000 homes. Seamus Lynch, Athea Wind FarmProject Manager, said the installation of the first turbine was an important milestone. “As we move into a critical phase of the project, we’ve been working closely with the local council and wildlife groups to ensure that everything’s in place for us to erect the turbines with the minimum disruption to the surrounding communities and natural habitats.” SSE has anticipated that the project will result in an investment of around €7 million into the local community. Through the construction of Athea Wind Farm, SSE is working with more than 50 local suppliers and contractors, whilst helping maintain more than 200 hundred jobs throughout the project construction phase. Athea Wind Farm is located close to SSE’s existing Tournafulla, Dromada and Rathcahill wind farms. When completed, SSE's County Limerick wind farms will have a combined generation capacity of in excess of 100MW – enough electricity to supply over 50,000 homes powered by SSE’s retail brand Airtricity.