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As part of a €1.5bn plan, Norwegian company Statkraft is looking to roll out wind farms and a renewable battery facility in Ireland.
Following on from its purchase of Element Power last year, one of Europe’s biggest renewable energy companies has revealed news that could significantly boost Ireland’s clean energy plans.
According to The Irish Times, Statkraft’s president and chief executive, Christian Rynning-Tønnesen, said that in addition to the €30m wind farm it has just started construction on at Kilathmoy at the Kerry-Limerick border, it hopes to spend a further €1.5bn in the country.
This will include a wind farm located 30km off the Dublin coast capable of generating 500MW of electricity to power half a million homes. Statkraft hopes to bring in a partner on this project that could cover most of the estimated €1bn cost.
The reason for the new plans is the company’s focus on onshore wind farms and renewables technology. One of the most interesting proposals put forward by Statkraft is the construction of what could be Ireland’s first renewable electricity storage facility, also at Kilathmoy. This facility would be able to store 11MW of electricity and would be plugged into the wider grid during high demand.
It also has planning permission for wind farms in various locations across the State capable of generating up to 130MW of electricity. It is now looking for planning permission for additional wind farms capable of generating 150MW of electricity as well as 150MW capacity for a series of solar plants.
“These investments will be of the magnitude of €450m to half a billion,” Rynning-Tønnesen said.
Explaining why the company wants to invest in Ireland, he said that it was due to the Government’s promise that 70pc of all electricity will be sourced from renewables by 2030.
“There are high ambitions here to develop more renewable energy and you have a good wind resource,” the chief executive said.
