Wind energy joint venture information event held in Birr
An information event was organised in Birr last week by Bord na Móna and SSE Renewables in connection with their 50:50 joint venture project, which involves the development of a number of onshore wind farm projects in this region.
Wind farm projects scheduled to be developed as part of the companies' joint venture include Lemanaghan Wind Farm in north-west Offaly, Littleton Wind Farm in Tipperary, and Garryhinch Wind Farm on the Laois Offaly border.
Bord na Móna and SSE Renewables said the information event in the County Arms Hotel last week was geared towards regional stakeholders from the Midlands.
According the two companies, their partnership marks one of the largest onshore renewable energy joint ventures in Ireland and could deliver to 800MW of renewable energy.
More than €1 billion could be invested by the two partners over the next decade to deliver the significant portfolio of new onshore wind projects across the Midlands.
The companies said that, if fully delivered, the portfolio could generate enough renewable electricity to meet the annual energy demand of around half a million homes, while displacing half a million tonnes of carbon emissions each year.
This would make a substantial contribution to Ireland’s 2030 renewable energy goals set out in the national Climate Action Plan.
Attendees at the information event, held on September 11, heard from representatives of both companies about the shared vision behind the joint venture, details of the projects currently being developed, the importance of communities and the benefits the projects could bring to local communities.
"We are delighted to be working with Bord na Móna on an exciting partnership which is bringing together two leading low carbon energy companies to help Ireland secure more of the home-grown energy we need," said Ghislain Demeuldre, SSE Renewables Head of Onshore Development in Ireland.
"For both partners, we want the impact of our planned project investments in the Midlands to go beyond the generation of clean home-grown energy.
"We also want to ensure our plans can deliver real and tangible benefits for communities where we plan to develop our wind farms.
"Our shared values in delivering economic and job creation benefits in the Midlands during construction, as well as dedicated multi-year Community Funds for each wind farm once in operation, will be at the heart of our partnership approach."
Bord na Móna Head of Renewable Energy John Reilly said: "Our joint venture with SSE Renewables to deliver a series of onshore wind farm projects has the potential to contribute significantly to Ireland’s future green energy supply.
"Partnerships like this are crucial to delivering renewable energy projects of scale and significant impact, targeting 800MW of installed capacity, which is equivalent to circa 10% of Ireland’s overall target for onshore wind by 2030."
Wind Energy Ireland CEO Noel Cunniffe, who acted as MC and opened the event, said: "It's brilliant to see partnerships like this of two leaders in the industry which will not only help to enable us to meet our 2030 renewable energy targets, but will also bring huge local benefits to communities across the Midlands through the economic opportunities they create, as well as the community benefit funds that will be established.
"However, there are challenges to delivering projects like these to meet our 2030 targets, such as planning delays and grid constraints. These challenges will need to be overcome in order to deliver on Ireland’s 2030 targets."
Those wishing to learn more about the joint venture and the projects in the portfolio can do so at: www.poweringgreen.ie