Wind power plan ‘can’t be delayed’

Securing an intergovernmental agreement between the UK and Ireland to facilitate the export of Irish wind energy is crucial to the future of the multi-billion euro midlands wind project.

“We need that intergovernmental agreement. We need that this year; any delay to that, is a delay to the project. Each delay to the project curtails it,” said Mainstream Power’s founder and CEO Eddie O’Connor.

“The earlier we get an intergovernmental agreement, the sooner we can start spending this money. Before we can spend seriously big money we need to see that both governments are committed.”

Mr O’Connor was speaking at a conference in Tullamore where some of the world’s leading manufacturers of wind farm components and transmission technology met to discuss the potential of setting up a supply chain in the midlands worth at least €7bn.

Between 2016 and 2020, Mainstream’s 5,000 megawatt Energy Bridge alone will require 1,700 turbine towers, 5,000 blades, 1,700 nacelles, 16,000km of inter-array cabling, 1,700 convertors, 30 electrical substations and 400km of HVDC underground cables. Rather than importing these materials, which are worth well in excess of €7bn, the plan is to attract these manufacturers to set up base in Ireland employing tens of thousands of people locally.

Mr O’Connor said if you could show the companies the development was going ahead they would locate manufacturing plants here.

Larry de Vaal, business development manager with wind turbine manufacturer XEMC Darwind said: “XEMC Darwind has already looked at manufacturing opportunities in Ireland and with a project of this scale there is a very real opportunity to locate component manufacturing, assembly, installation and long-term maintenance here in the midlands.”

However, Mr O’Connor said that there is a narrow window of opportunity during which Ireland needs to move or else the whole project will fail.

“We have taken an awful lot of risk upfront in anticipation that they (Government) will do what they said that they will do.

“There is a need in Britain for renewable power as they are committed in law to have 15% of their power generated by renewables by 2020. We have a window of opportunity we either take it now, use it of lose it.”