€100m Bord na Móna wind farm in Offaly begins supplying to electricity grid
A 75 Megawatt wind farm developed by Bord na Móna in Cloncreen, Offaly, is now starting to supply renewable electricity to the Irish grid, the company announced today (Tuesday).
The commencement of supply from the wind farm to the national grid was described by Bord na Móna as "an important milestone".
Cloncreen Wind Farm is situated in the east of the county, some 4.5km southwest of Edenderry, and 4km east of Bord na Móna's Mountlucas Wind Farm.
The 21 turbines on site at Cloncreen have a blade tip height of 170 metres.
The company said the facility involved an investment of "over €100m in low-carbon electricity generation infrastructure."
Construction of the wind farm started two years ago, and Bord na Móna said that, when fully operational, it "would be capable of providing enough renewable energy for 55,000 homes."
"The project will make a significant contribution to the achievement of Ireland’s 80% renewable electricity target by 2030," the company's statement said today.
"While Bord na Móna’s landholding at Cloncreen extends to approximately 960 hectares (c.2,400 acres), the wind farm has a permanent footprint on just 4 per cent of the site area. Cloncreen Wind Farm is now the largest wind farm in Ireland using Vestas turbines," it stated.
"Bord na Móna is also developing a range of benefits for the local community, including the provision of 20km of walkways and cycleways through the rehabilitated peatland site as well as a multi-sensory garden and outdoor gym area."
The company added that it had been engaging with the local community throughout the project and that "a significant community benefit fund" was also being provided.
Bord na Móna's chief executive, Tom Donnellan, said it was on track to be able to supply approximately one-third of Irish homes with renewable energy by 2030, and that this would play an important role in Ireland's response to climate change.
The company's Head of Renewable Energy, John Reilly, added: "Whether it's through employment or supporting local businesses, Bord na Móna is extremely proud to be an active partner with local suppliers and contractors to help deliver sustained economic benefits to the local community.
"In helping deliver a state-of-the-art project at Cloncreen, it is a testament to these local suppliers and contractors to have continued to deliver their supplies and services despite these challenging times.
"The Cloncreen Wind Farm Project Team would like to take this opportunity to thank the local community and the entire Bord na Móna team for making this happen.
"I also want to commend Ionic Consulting, Farrans Construction, H&MV Engineering, and our turbine suppliers Vestas for their central roles in ensuring construction was safely completed and for securing another significant supply of renewable energy to the Irish grid."
The company said the wind farm would be fully operational before the coming winter season, when its commissioning and testing programme is complete.