Ørsted adds to Irish portfolio with Terra Solar

Slate of projects will contribute significantly to meeting government climate action targets

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Renewable energy company Ørsted is developing a portfolio of solar projects in a partnership with solar farm developer Terra Solar, headquartered at NovaUCD in Dublin. The projects have a combined capacity of up to 400MW, potentially enough to power more than 90,000 homes.

Subject to grid route consent and a grid offer, the portfolio of projects are targeted for completion in advance of 2030, in line with the Irish government’s 8GW Climate Action Plan solar energy target.

TJ Hunter, senior director, development & operations, UK & Ireland, at Ørsted, said: “Solar energy is an essential component for enabling the Irish power system to run entirely on green energy. Ireland has seen several amber alerts on warm summer days with low wind speeds, the cost of electricity is too high due to over-reliance on fossil fuel, and the carbon intensity of Ireland’s electricity is among the highest in Europe. To solve these issues and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, we need to grow solar energy in parallel with onshore wind, offshore wind, and energy storage.”

André Fernon, director at Terra Solar, said: “This partnership will contribute significantly to Ireland’s low-carbon future, strengthen our indigenous energy supply, and ensure competitively priced green electricity for Irish consumers.”

Ørsted currently operates 378MW of onshore wind across the island of Ireland, producing enough power for over 230,000 homes. Earlier this year, the company announced a partnership with ESB to jointly develop an Irish offshore wind portfolio. Its Irish headquarters are in Cork City, where it employs more than 100 people.

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