Orsted bags 55MW Irish solar contract

Orsted has secured a contract for a 55MW solar project in the Irish Government’s fourth onshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS 4).

The solar farm will be built in Ballinrea, located between Carrigaline and Cork City.

Average prices for solar in the RESS 4 auction were €104.76 per MWh.

Orsted has a total of 24 advanced or operational onshore wind and solar projects in Ireland, including two projects that were cleared in 2023 in RESS 3.

TJ Hunter, Director Ireland & UK at Orsted, said: “We are delighted to get approval for Ballinrea Solar Farm as part of the RESS 4 auction and we look forward to taking the project towards commercial operation as early as 2026.

“Solar is the fastest growing energy technology in the world and is a key focus for us here in Ireland, along with onshore and offshore wind farm projects.

“Stable, iterative recurring auctions are a key feature of successful energy markets.

“RESS 3 was challenging as it lacked clarity on price and volume, however RESS 4 gave more transparency on the price cap if not volume, and clear terms and conditions for operators, so we welcome the Government’s progress on this.”

Orsted operates an onshore wind portfolio of 378MW in Ireland and also entered a partnership with ESB in 2023 to jointly develop an Irish offshore wind portfolio and announced a partnership with Terra Solar to develop 400MW of solar.

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