A co-operative group is proposing to set up a large energy co-operative in the midlands in response to the growing interest in schemes which seek to export renewable energy directly to the UK Electricity grid. Energy Co-operatives Ireland (ECI) has established smaller scale renewables co-ops in Ireland but now aims at creating a much larger and more geographically diverse co-operative. This will be aimed at maximizing the benefits to the relevant local communities of proposed large scale energy export projects.

ECI will be holding the first public meeting to establish the co-op in the Mullingar Park Hotel on Wednesday 10th October at 8pm.

ECI spokesperson Cormac Walsh explained; "We aim to set up a 10,000 member co-operative in the midland region which will have two key roles in the development of renewable energy here. Firstly, our members should be able to gather enough funds through shareholdings to add vital Irish-based equity to any new initiative. Secondly we will also be able to ensure that the local communities in these areas will get real social and economic returns for the consent that they will be granting to these projects."

Until now there has been only mixed success in achieving strong public acceptance for wind farm developments. Developers that point to construction employment benefits and commercial rate payments to county councils are increasingly being met with calls that these are not enough to generate community support. Schemes such as community bursaries and social funds are also open to the criticism that they are operating on a 19th century benevolence model.

"We are suggesting that local communities will decide how the benefits of large scale wind projects are dispersed, Mr Walsh continued. "A company setting up a committee to distribute a fraction of their profits on whatever projects they want to support is not the answer to the public acceptance problem. We want a say in the distribution of the profits through a share in the equity. All members of the local community are potentially involved. Landowners rightly play a central role, but they can be joined in the support of a scheme by other local groups. All kinds of local people are affected by large scale projects such as those being proposed - they can influence public acceptance; their support can facilitate developers' plans and speed up the planning process."

ECI points to the success of local community involvement in the 80MW Mount Callan wind farm as just one Irish example of a positive international trend of increasing community equity involvement in the renewables sector. The example of Scottish & Southern Energy's involvement in the 500MW Viking Wind Farm, the Shetland Islands is another case in point. SSE is moving ahead with plans to build large scale wind farms with community involvement at their core in Scotland. The strategy of engaging local communities in renewables projects from the earliest stages, including the granting of equity or options to purchase shares, is seen by many as key to the success of some of Scottish and Southern's projects.

Pádraig Howard of the large community owned West Clare Renewables wind farm project is participating in launching the proposed co-op. He says: "An energy co-op on the scale proposed by ECI would hold out the prospect of becoming a significant equity partner in future large wind farm projects in the midlands, it also would significantly improve the public acceptance of such projects. A co-op such as this would be able to raise equity funding which would be critical in getting such wind farm projects completed. This was our direct experience in achieving the success of the Mount Callan project'.

The ECI is confident that, as Ireland is the country in the world with the highest per capita co-operative membership, their proposals will meet with enthusiasm. They have also contacted the IFA who they say have expressed an interest in their renewable energy co-operatives proposals. ECI will be holding public meetings at various locations in the midlands to discuss their proposed co-operatives in the coming weeks.

For information, contact Cormac Walsh of Energy Co-ops Ireland at www.energyco-ops.ie, cormac.walsh@energyco-ops.ie or (086) 678 4063.

ECI will be holding the first public meeting to establish the co-op in the Mullingar Park Hotel on Wednesday 10th October at 8pm.