Two firms have signed a memorandum of understanding to co-development an up to 870 MW offshore wind farm in the North Irish Sea offshore Ireland.
The firms, Oriel Windfarm and Gaelectric Holdings hope to start the development with a 15 MW demonstration project, entailing an investment of €80 million in a new research and development hub for offshore wind energy.
The North Irish Sea Array would be the first major offshore renewable energy project to be developed in the Irish Sea since the construction of the Arklow Bank Wind Farm by GE Electricity in 2001.
Both Oriel and Gaelectric have been involved in representations to Ireland's Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to extend the feed-in tariff for wave and tidal energy, announced at the Irish Renewable Energy Summit 2015, to offshore wind research and development projects to be capped at 30 MW. The promoters see this as a vital step in incentivizing and re-invigorating an industry that has remained stagnant for the last 14 years.
Ireland's Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan, published in 2014, indicated the potential to generate up to 10,000 MW of renewable energy from offshore wind energy.
The latest generation of wind turbines currently being tested can produce 7 MW of power, nearly twice the amount created by the turbines at Arklow Bank.
Brian Britton, Managing Director of Oriel Windfarm Ltd, said: “This project represents the biggest step forward for the Irish offshore wind energy sector in the last 10 years. NISA will commence with a significant demonstration project which, by their nature, draw investment and attract collaborations with local universities and provide opportunities for local businesses. Demonstration projects in the UK, Germany and Denmark have led to the development of full scale projects, leading to the creation of many thousands of jobs in those countries.”
Commenting, Brendan McGrath, CEO of Gaelectric Holdings plc, said: “Offshore wind speeds, relatively shallow water depth and favorable sea bed conditions, make the Irish Sea an ideal location for offshore wind projects and as a testing ground for offshore wind technologies. The presence of a number of established ports on the east coast of Ireland is also a factor which will help attract investment to Ireland. We are confident that the project will attract leading industry players to the offshore Irish market and will be an important step towards realizing the vast potential for renewable generation from the Irish Sea.”