Windfarm to power 500,000 homes planned for Irish Sea
Plans by Norwegian renewable utility Statkraft for a 40-turbine windfarm, located in the Irish Sea, have taken a step forward.
North Irish Sea Array Windfarm Ltd (NISA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Statkraft, has applied, in recent days, for a foreshore licence to carry out a marine survey of a 229 square-kilometre site located between 7km and 17km off the coasts of Dublin, Louth, and Meath.
If developed, the 500MW windfarm would have the capacity to power approximately 500,000 homes with renewable electricity.
While the concept of the NISA was first mooted more than a decade ago, this proposal is at a very early stage in the development process.
In submitting a foreshore licence application for marine survey work, Statkraft said it is gathering the necessary information which would allow a design proposal for the project to be developed.
The company said it has had a series of meetings with the fishing industry locally to establish how the proposed surveys can be carried out in the most efficient manner.
Statkraft Ireland managing director, Kevin O’Donovan told the Irish Examiner: “We believe that NISA offers a unique opportunity not only for Ireland but the city of Dublin and surrounding areas.
The need to take urgent climate action has never been clearer and, as a society, we are fast moving away from the burning of fossil fuels and towards green energy.
“2030 and the targets set in the government’s climate action plan will arrive quickly, therefore industry needs to respond and provide solutions.”
Statkraft already owns and operates 12 windfarms in the UK and the Nordic countries with a combined installed capacity of over 1,000 MW.
