Press Release Saturday 13th June 2009 – for immediate release

Airtricity opens Tournafulla Wind Farm to mark Global Wind Day

West community celebrates energy made better at Tournafulla Wind Farm Family Fun Day

The community of West Limerick and North Kerry came out in its droves today (Saturday 13th June 2009) to Tournafulla Wind Farm at , Co. Limerick, to discover the power of wind and celebrate energy made better at Airtricity’s 18 turbine wind farm site.

Over 1,000 visitors from the surrounding community attended the Airtricity event at Tournafulla Wind Farm for an opportunity to experience the benefits of wind energy up close. Airtricity’s Family Fun Day coincided with this year’s Global Wind Day on Monday 15th June, which promotes wind energy as a clean, infinite, no‐ fuel energy source.

Visitors embarked on escorted site tours of Tournafulla Wind Farm to experience energy made better at close range, and explore how a wind turbine works from inside the base of a turbine. Younger members of the local community were invited by Airtricity to ‘touch a turbine’ and leave a painted handprint for posterity on the base of a turbine tower to mark the occasion.

Elsewhere at the nearby Devon Inn, attending families enjoyed a gala community party hosted by Airtricity which included a free barbecue and refreshments, face painters and balloon modellers, and bouncy castles. A highlight of the event was the exciting, fun and interactive science presentations designed to spark imaginative learning among all ages.

A day earlier, John Cregan TD officially opened the Tournafulla Wind Farm. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Cregan congratulated Airtricity for its investment in West Limerick. “Developments such as Airtricity’s Tournafulla Wind Farm bring very significant local benefits. Services in Limerick will benefit with the contribution of €1 million per annum in local authority rates; landowners in the area can derive a source of income at a time when traditional farming revenues are being tightened; and our fine local volunteers and community groups will benefit from the community fund. I look forward to future wind farm projects such as Tournafulla being developed to benefit the local and national economy, and to help meet our renewable energy targets,” John Cregan TD stated.

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Stephen Wheeler, General Manager of Airtricity in Ireland, commented: “Airtricity is at an advanced stage of its €270 million investment into our four Limerick wind farms at Tournafulla, Knockastana, Dromada and . Investment in renewable energy presents an unparalleled opportunity to act as a leading economic stimulant locally and nationally in terms of construction jobs and materials, professional services and through local income in the guise of local authority rates, landowner rental and community fund. While renewable energy investment brings definite economic benefits nationally and for Limerick, Airtricity believe Templeglantine and its surrounding communities must also see the benefit of this wind farm in their locality. Through Airtricity’s annual local community fund and paid for the life time of the wind farm, Airtricity will direct investment specifically for the communities adjacent to the wind farm and is our way of contributing to the future sustainable development of the area. This year, we will present €50,000 to community groups in the Templeglantine area from the community fund.”

David Rooney, Airtricity Project Manager, thanked all those who made the Tournafulla project the success that it is today, including local landowners, project partners, contractors, and the wider community.

Tournafulla Wind Farm, Airtricity’s wind generation farm at Templeglantine, in west , has a generation capacity of 27MW – enough electricity to power up to 18,000 homes and to prevent the release of between 31,000 and 74,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year. The energy generated at Tournafulla will help ensure that Ireland meets its national targets of 40% renewables by 2020 and the EU’s mandatory 20% reduction in carbon emissions.

Members of the community were invited to register to switch to Airtricity and save up to 13% on home electricity costs. Airtricity now supplies over 60,000 customers with the greenest electricity in the Irish market, and, at 13% cheaper than the ESB, offers the consumer the cheapest standalone rates available in the .

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Further information from: Jason Cooke Head of Communications ‐ Airtricity Email: [email protected] Tel: +353 1 655 6656 / Mobile: +353 86 264 6710

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About Airtricity Airtricity is the renewable energy development division of Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE). The company has responsibility for the development and construction of all SSE Renewable projects across Europe, including onshore and offshore wind farms, hydro, marine and solar projects.

Airtricity and SSE’s goal is to protect the future of our planet by delivering renewable energy with passion, innovation and integrity. Airtricity is Ireland’s largest renewable energy developer and currently has 17 onshore wind farms in Ireland and Northern Ireland generating 378MW, enough electricity to power 180,000 households. The company has a total of 618MW of onshore wind farm capacity in Ireland in operation, in construction or with consent, and is actively progressing a significant development pipeline.

In supply, Airtricity is the No.1 supplier of green energy in Ireland offering domestic and commercial customers an electricity supply that is not only low‐cost but that also significantly reduces their carbon footprint. Airtricity now supplies over 60,000 registered customers in the Irish market with green electricity, and at the cheapest standalone rates in the Republic of Ireland.

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