Renewable

September 24 (Renewables Now) - Irish energy company ESB and utility service provider Bord na Mona have secured all needed funds for the construction of a 83-MW wind park in North County Mayo.

The total cost of the Oweninny expansion project is estimated at EUR 150 million (USD 175.7m), ESB said on Friday. The proposed wind farm will be built as an extension to the 89-MW Oweninny Phase 1 park.

Long-term financing for the second stage of the scheme was provided by a consortium of lenders including AIB, BNP Paribas and the European Investment Bank (EIB).

To be installed between the towns of Crossmolina and Bangor Erris, the wind farm extension will use 31 turbines. Once up and running, the machines are expected to have a combined output that will be enough to cover the consumption of more than 70,000 homes per year.

The project will be executed by Oweninny Power DAC, a 50/50 joint venture (JV) between ESB and Bord na Mona. The JV partners won planning permission to install the 172-MW complex as a two-phase project in 2016. The Siemens Gamesa turbines of Oweninny Phase 1 were brought online in 2019.

(EUR 1.0 = USD 1.171)