Voltalia already has a strong presence in Ireland, with a pipeline of 540MW of operational and under-construction projects. In August last year, the energy producer was selected to build and maintain several solar projects totalling 230MW across Ireland, signing a 15-year deal with independent power producer Power Capital Renewable Energy.
“We are delighted with this first collaboration with Ørsted, one of the world leaders in our sector. With this new service contract, Voltalia illustrates its competitiveness as a builder of solar power plants”, says Sébastien Clerc, chief executive officer of Voltalia.
Meanwhile, Ørsted has been making major moves into Ireland, having last year joined up with Irish energy developer Terra Solar in order to develop 400MW of new solar capacity in Ireland. This project marks the first developed from the start project for the company in Ireland.
While glorious sunshine may not be what immediately springs to mind when thinking of the Emerald Isle, Ireland has seen several high-profile solar projects come to fruition in recent months.
In May, Lightsource BP submitted proposals for a 57MW solar development with 54MW of co-located battery energy storage (BESS), to be situated on 182 acres of land in County Meath. Earlier that month, renewable developer RES submitted a planning application to Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council for a 29.9MW solar project to be located on land just outside of Magheralin.
Meanwhile, Baywa.re recently announced that it had successfully gained planning consent for its first Irish solar farm from Tipperary County Council and An Bord Pleanála. The Springmount Solar Farm, a 60MWp development, is set to begin construction in 2026, with an expected commissioning date of 2027.
Irish solar projects have become an increasingly important part of the island’s renewable energy mix; data from Ireland’s grid operator, EirGrid, revealed that grid-scale solar met 4.4% of the country’s electricity demand in June 2024, a new record for the country. In total, 110GWh of energy generation came from grid-scale solar projects, but actual total solar generation is likely to be significantly higher; the Irish Solar Energy Association notes that the 94,000 Irish homes that are fitted with solar panels have a total generation capacity of 373MW. June saw renewable energy sources meeting 33.53% of Ireland’s energy demand.
