Leading developer joins key Irish wind farm project

Irish energy company Oriel has signed up infrastructure developer Parkwind as a strategic partner for its planned windfarm project in the Irish Sea.

The Belgian windfarm developer is a leading energy infrastructure specialist in Europe. It has agreed an undisclosed, but significant, investment in the Oriel Wind Farm, which is set to be Ireland’s biggest renewable energy generator when it becomes commercial in three years.

The 330MW project will be located near Dundalk, Co Louth, and will cost around €660m and will generate enough electricity to power 250,000 homes.

The amount Parkwind has invested, and its share of the project, have not been disclosed. The company believes it can support the Government in establishing the Irish offshore wind industry, while generating economic activity and employment over the lifetime of the project.

“Parkwind has a firm ambition to grow internationally. After the successful development and construction of 550MW in the North Sea, we were able to shift our focus quickly to evolve from an experienced but strictly Belgian to an international player in the offshore wind industry.

“The challenge and opportunity of realising the first offshore windfarm in Ireland matches perfectly with our entrepreneurial and solution-driven company culture,” said co-chief executive Francois Van Leeuw.

“We are confident we can play a vital role for the emerging Irish offshore wind industry. It is our ambition to finalise the construction of the Oriel Wind Farm in 2020, thus assisting Ireland in reaching its 2020 renewable energy targets,” said project director Peter Caluwaerts.