PlanningRegister.ie
Observation pack · Carlow County Council

Kellistown East , Co. Carlow

a 10-year permission for the development. The development will consist of the construction of BESS, tail-fed 220kV step-up transformer and all associated ancillary development on ca.6.5 hectare (‘ha’) site consisting of: (i) 210 BESS units each containing six power conversion system units; (ii) 30 static smart transformer stations units; (iii) 60 distribution transformers units; (iv) one auxiliary services building; (v) one office building; (vi) one control building; (vii) one storage building; (viii) one tail-fed 220 kV step-up transformer; (ix) one auxiliary transformer; (x) one Independent Power Producer (‘IPP’) building with two switchgear rooms and auxiliary systems; (xi) one underground firewater retention holding tank (ca.350m³ capacity); (xii) one firewater tank (ca.250m³ capacity); (xiii) one infiltration basin (ca.1,689m³ capacity); (xiv) upgrade works to the existing Site entrance; (xv) internal access tracks between the BESS units, IPP Building and Site entrance; (xvi) underground electrical and communications cabling within private lands; (xvii) one temporary construction compound; (xviii) landscaped berms of up to ca.3m in height; (xix) perimeter security fencing of up to 2.4m in height and security gates; (xx) pole-mounted security cameras; and (xxi) all associated ancillary site development, landscaping and reinstatement works. A 40-year operational life from the date of full commissioning of the entire BESS project is being sought for the proposed development (other than temporary works specified above), and the subsequent decommissioning. A Natura Impact Statement will accompany the planning application

Observations close 23 Oct 2026 27 days left
5 weeks from receipt (received 18 Sept 2026) · s.34 Planning and Development Act 2000 · art. 29 Regulations 2001 · fee €20 · council decision due 12 Nov 2026

The application

Reference
2660287 · full record
Authority
Carlow County Council
Type
PERMISSION
Status
PRE_VALIDATION
Applicant
not published by the national dataset — see the council register
Units
0
Floor area
—
Site area
6.46 ha
Received
18 Sept 2026
We first saw it
22 Sept 2026, 16:10
Decision due
12 Nov 2026
Decision
N/a

The national dataset truncates descriptions (80 characters for DLR, 70 for Fingal) and omits the applicant. The full description and the drawings are on the council register linked in step 1.

How to submit an observation

  1. Read the file on the council register.Drawings, planning statement and site notices are at http://www.eplanning.ie/CarlowCC/AppFileRefDetails/2660287/0.
  2. Write your observation.Quote 2660287 at the top, give your name and the address the authority should reply to, and confine it to planning matters — zoning objective, height, overlooking, traffic, drainage, heritage. What you say here is what you can later appeal on.
  3. Pay the €20 fee.Every submission needs it; without it the observation is invalid and is returned. Carlow County Council takes it online with the submission or at the counter.
  4. Submit before 23 Oct 2026.Online through the register above, or in writing to the Planning Department, Carlow County Council. The test is the date the authority receives it, not the date you post it.
  5. Keep the acknowledgement.The council's receipt is your proof of a valid observation — see below.

Statutory basis. Section 34(1) of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) requires a planning authority to consider any submission or observation made to it in accordance with the Regulations. Article 29 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 (as amended) sets the window: a submission or observation must be received by the authority within five weeks beginning on the date of receipt of the application, and must be accompanied by the prescribed fee of €20. A submission received after the window, or without the fee, is invalid and the authority must return it.

After you submit: keep the acknowledgement. Under the 2024 Act it secures your right to appeal — only the applicant and a person who made a valid observation may bring the council's decision to An Coimisiún Pleanála, within four weeks of the decision. Making a valid observation is also what buys a right of appeal: under s.37(1) of the 2000 Act, only the applicant and a person who made a valid submission or observation to the planning authority may appeal the decision to An Coimisiún Pleanála (within four weeks of the decision). Missing the five-week window closes both doors.

What the site is zoned

No current zoning polygon covers this site in the store.

Designations on or near the site

  • Radon risk area × 1
    About 1 in 10 homes in this area is likely to have high radon levels

Nearby precedents within 500 m, last 5 years

Decisions

ReferenceDecisionDecidedUnitsDistanceDescription
2560355Conditional8 Jan 20261390 mthe construction of shed / store used for domestic purposes and storing of vintage vehicles, and all associated site works
2460410Conditional6 Jun 2025026 m• the replacement (“restringing”) of the existing overhead line circuit conductor wires with a new higher capacity conductor • the strengthening of foundations at 7no. locations • shear block remedial works at 77no. locations • the strengthening of towers (i.e., member replacement) at 34no. locations • the replacement of 5.1km of earthwire • the painting of all structures • the replacement of insulating and ancillary hardware at structures • all associated works within the existing Kellis 220kV substation to accommodate the uprated 220kV OHL including uprating of the Great Island bay in Kellis 220kV substation • the installation of a temporary link between the Great Island – Kellis and Dunstown = Kellis 220kV OHLs to create a temporary circuit, which will include the erection of a temporary four-pole timber structure between the existing Angle Mast 191 on the Great Island- Kellis circuit and the existing Angle Mast 157 on the Dunstown – Kellis circuit • all associated temporary site development works to gain access to the existing structures including vegetation clearance and management, disassembly and reassembly of gate posts/piers and removal and reinstatement of existing fencing, and • other temporary associated and ancillary site development works required for the purpose of the uprate of the existing circuit, including construction compounds, silt traps, silt fences, vegetation clearance and management, stone tracks, ground protection mats, infrastructure crossing support systems (i.e., guard poles) and temporary watercourse crossings. Where required, an aerial catenary stringing system (ACSS) will be used to facilitate stringing operations over major obstacles, e.g., busy national roads, wide rivers, etc. A Natura Impact Statement will be submitted to the Planning Authority with the application. Please see Site Notice for full development description
2460223Conditional20 Sept 20240155 mof 110kV underground electricity cabling and all associated ancillary site development works. The proposed development of the underground electricity cabling will comprise 3 No. power cable ducts, 2 No. communications ducts and 1 no. earth continuity duct of c.43 metres in length which is to be installed in an excavated trench. The cabling will extend from and connect with permitted 110kV underground electricity cabling (under An Bord Pleanála reference ABP-313139-22) on the L30535 public road to a line bay in the Kellis 220kV substation
23129Refused14 Sept 20231397 mPL18-296 for the restoration, part demolition and extension to the rear of an existing house, along with the installation of a new sewage treatment sewage, percolation area and all associated site and landscaping works
21445Conditional17 Oct 202200 mPermission for a 10 year planning permission for the development of a synchronous condenser grid support facility, which will connect to the adjoining ESB Kellistown Electricity Substation. The proposed development will have a projected life span of 50 years. At the end of life the proposed development can either be decommissioned or refurbished to extend its life. The development is to be located within a site compound c. 1 ha. It will regulate reactive power on the electricity network and will consist of the following elements: a building (c. 540 sqm. c. 10m high) to house equipment including a synchronous condenser with flywheel, lube oil skid, air compressor and pumps. Equipment to be located outside the footprint of the building but within a fenced compound will include cooling equipment (c. 160 sqm. c. 3m high) 6 No. modular containers to house electrical and control equipment (total area of c. 195 sq m c. 5m high), a step-up transformer, an auxiliary transformer, an external circuit breaker, electrical balance of plant, 1 No. firefighting water tank, above ground oil separator and collection pit c. 100m of underground cabling ducts and cable to the adjoining ESB substation, balustrade boundary fencing, security entrance gate and CCTV, all other ancillary and miscellaneous site works to include site clearance, site access, internal roads and development of areas of hard standing and lay-down area. The proposed development will connect by underground cable to the Electricity Supply Board (ESB) 220kV substation adjoining the western boundary of the proposed development site. This underground cabling will not form a part of the transmission networks as defined in Section 2(1) of the Electricity Regulation Act 1999
21335Conditional14 Dec 20212222 mPermission for the construction of a two storey dwelling, garage, septic tank and percolation area, bored well, splayed entrance and all associated site development works

Appeals

ACP caseTypeOutcomeDecidedDistance
322690—Granted with conditions19 Dec 2025198 m
323860—open7 Nov 202515 m
319600—Other7 May 2025167 m
315063—Granted with conditions2 May 20240 m
313139—Granted with conditions3 Nov 2022138 m

If neighbours here have appealed before and lost, the inspector's report on that case is the single most useful thing to read.

What has happened on this file

  • 18 Sept 2026 New application · observations close 23 Oct 2026
  • 18 Sept 2026 Decision

Generated from the Planning Register store; nothing was fetched live for this page. Source: national planning dataset, fetched 22 Sept 2026, 16:10. Not legal advice — confirm the deadline with Carlow County Council before relying on it.