Ireland just awarded four offshore wind contracts totaling 3.1 GW of capacity, under its Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (ORESS 1).
Among the chosen projects are the 1.3 GW Codling Wind Park, a joint venture of NorthWind partner Fred Olsen Seawind and EDF Renewables, and the 0.5 GW North Irish Sea Array (NISA), developed by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and NorthWind partner Statkraft.
The Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Communications of Ireland has expressed satisfaction with the auction results. Notably, the average price secured of EUR 86.05/MWh is one of the lowest in the emerging offshore wind market globally. This compares to the maximum offer price under the auction rules set at EUR 150/MWh.
The capacity awarded in this auction represents the most substantial volume of renewable energy Ireland has ever procured, equivalent to over a third of Ireland’s entire electricity consumption this year and over a quarter of projected 2030 electricity demand. This capacity could power over 2.5 million Irish homes with clean electricity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over one million tonnes in 2030.
The successful projects will contribute more than EUR 24 million annually to local marine and coastal communities hosting offshore renewable energy projects, benefiting these communities for up to 20 years after a project begins to produce renewable energy.
The provisional results of the ORESS 1 auction are subject to RESS confirmation and State Aid processes, expected to conclude by mid-June. The auction was part of Phase 1 of the Irish government’s offshore wind programme, coordinated by the Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce, chaired by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications.
