Wind farm turbine installation in Rhode reaches halfway point

Yellow River Wind Farm, located outside Rhode, has reached another notable major milestone in its delivery as the turbine installation reaches the halfway point.

In recent days, the 15th turbine out of the total 29 Nordex N117/3600 units earmarked for the wind farm has been installed.

SSE Renewables commenced construction of the wind farm in October 2022 with the installation of the first turbine taking place in January. All turbines are expected to be installed by the Nordex Group by the end of Summer 2024. The wind farm is expected to enter commercial operations in early 2025. The project is supporting up to 150 full-time construction phase jobs at peak delivery.

Once operational, Yellow River Wind Farm’s 29 turbines are expected to deliver 101MW of renewable energy output and be capable of powering 67,000 homes annually and offset 66,000 metric tonnes of carbon per annum*, helping contribute to Ireland’s 2030 renewable energy targets.

Completion of Yellow River Wind Farm will also contribute to SSE Renewables’ target of increasing its installed renewable energy capacity to 9GW by 2027, as part of SSE's Net Zero Acceleration Programme (NZAP) to address climate change head on.

Commenting on the milestone, Director of Onshore Renewables Development and Construction, Heather Donald, said: “Reaching the halfway mark on turbine installation at Yellow River is another exciting milestone for the project. Our entire team, including our delivery partners, is focused on continuing this momentum by pressing ahead with a busy schedule to safely install and deliver all turbines in a timely manner. We are grateful to the surrounding communities for their continued cooperation.”

Project Manager for the Nordex Group, James Lappin, said: “At the Nordex Group, we’re very happy to be working alongside SSE on this project, and passing the halfway point means we are one step closer to helping contribute to Ireland’s greener future in the long term. The first turbine at Yellow River was installed in January, so to be at the point already highlights the incredible effort, dedication, and commitment of all the teams on site.”

Turbine components are continuing to be transported from the Port of Galway to the Midlands site. All deliveries are made in the early hours of the morning to minimise disruption to the local community in Rhode.

Yellow River has secured a contract for all the site’s planned installed capacity of renewable energy power under the Irish Government’s RESS 3 auction round for new onshore wind farms. The contract will commence shortly after wind farm commissioning.