Bord na Mona's bids for 158 MW of wind capacity succeed in Irish auction

Two wind projects with a combined capacity of 158 MW developed by Ireland’s utility service provider Bord na Mona have been chosen under the Irish government's Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS-1).

The company announced the win earlier this week, noting that the winning projects are the Cloncreen wind farm and the second phase of the Oweninny wind farm. Together the two projects accounted for 25% of the total capacity awarded in the first auction under RESS-1, according to the statement.

The Cloncreen wind farm will be situated near the village of Clonbullogue, County Offaly. In 2017, the company secured planning permission for 21 turbines.

The Oweninny wind farm is located in County Mayo and is a joint venture between Bord na Mona and Irish energy company ESB. Phase 1, which has a capacity of 93 MW, was commissioned in November 2019. Phase 2 is expected to have a capacity of 79 MW, bringing the total to 172 MW.

Bord na Mona is investing EUR 170 million (USD 201.7m) in the two projects, which together will produce enough power to supply over 100,000 households a year, as part of its Brown to Green strategy.

"We are now on track to achieve a 300 percent increase in our renewable energy output in this decade. By 2030 we will be generating 3.5 terawatt hours (TWH) of renewable energy that will significantly help Ireland deliver on its carbon reduction and green energy targets," CEO Tom Donnellan commented.

(EUR 1.0 = USD 1.186)

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