ESB and Bord na Móna have commenced construction on a new solar farm at Timahoe North, Co. Kildare, as part of a wider solar energy joint venture between the two companies.
International energy producer and service provider, Voltalia, has been selected to carry out the engineering, procurement and construction (“EPC”) contract of the solar farm over the next year.
It is expected that the Timohoe North solar farm will be fully operational by the end of 2024, with an installed capacity of 108MW of renewable energy to the national grid.
This is enough energy to power around 25,000 homes, according to the ESB and Bord na Móna.
Solar farm
The Kildare solar farm is part of an agreement between the two companies to develop solar power across four locations in counties Kildare, Offaly and Roscommon.
The joint venture will collectively deliver up to 500MW of power from solar farms based on Bord na Móna lands.
This development follows the successful outcome for Bord na Móna and ESB in the government’s Renewable Energy Support Scheme (RESS 2) auction last year, as well as early stage works which have taken place over the past 12 months.
“Bord na Móna has made significant progress across other areas of renewable energy to date, notably onshore wind, but in line with our ‘Brown to Green Strategy’ and current government policy, we are committed to continued expansion and diversification of our renewable energy portfolio,” John Reilly, Bord na Móna’s head of renewable energy, said.
“While still in its infancy, the solar industry in Ireland has the potential to play a pivotal role in Ireland’s renewable energy future.
“We have ambitious plans, in conjunction with ESB, to produce an impressive 500MW of solar power in the coming years and we believe this joint venture is an important step towards supporting national renewable energy requirements for 2030 and beyond,” he added.
ESB expects to invest €200 million over the next two years in the first phase of its solar roll out.