Ryan hails €1bn wind farm plan by Bord na Móna and SSE
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A joint venture between Bord na Móna and SSE Renewables that may inject as much as €1bn in the next 10 years to build wind farms in the Midlands has been hailed by Environment Minister Eamon Ryan.
The new venture between the two firms will initially involve developing three projects at the Lemanaghan Wind Farm in north-west Offaly, Littleton Wind Farm in Tipperary, and Garryhinch Wind Farm on the Laois Offaly border.
It is part of a wider plan to generate total additional power capacity of as much as 800Mw on the grid, which Mr Ryan has hailed as among "one of the largest onshore renewable energy joint ventures in the history of the State".
"We need to see more partnerships and large-scale projects like this coming on-line moving forward to end our dependence on fossil fuels and secure energy independence for Ireland," he said.
London-listed firm SSE was chosen by Bord na Móna following an assessment, Bord Na Móna said. SSE will fully fund the initial development, and then on a 50:50 basis with Bord Na Móna providing funds on further stages including construction.
Bord Na Móna chief Tom Donnellan said that the joint venture will use leases on Bord na Móna’s lands. "Our dedicated Community Benefit Fund will also support the local communities neighbouring our wind farm projects which could amount to annual multi-million-euro investments when all projects are fully operational," he said.