Ireland's biggest wind farm opens

Ireland's biggest wind farm was officially opened in Co Derry today.

The 20-turbine facility at Altahullion, some seven miles from Dungiven, will produce 26 megawatts – enough to power 20,000 homes.

The new wind farm provides an 80% increase in Northern Ireland’s renewable energy generation capacity.

Belfast-based Energia has signed a 15-year contract worth £22m (€31.7m) with wind farm developers B9 Energy and Renewable Energy Services who carried out the construction work.

Energia will supply the wind-generated electricity to a wide variety of small businesses, two main Belfast hospitals, five local councils and all five education and library boards in the North.

Speaking as the farm went “online”, Ian Pearson, Northern Ireland Office minister responsible for enterprise, trade and investment, said it was “a very significant day” in the development of renewable energy for the province.

He said his department had a draft 10-year strategy which aimed to provide 12.5% of the North’s energy needs from renewable sources by 2012.

He stressed wind farms should be in “sensible locations that are sensitive to the needs of the local and wider community”.

There is currently considerable opposition to a proposal for a wind farm of up to 60 turbines in the sea off Portstewart, Co Derry, and only a short distance down the coast from the scenic Giant’s Causeway.

Dr Allister McQuoid, managing director of Energia, said demand by local small and medium-sized businesses for renewable energy continued to grow.

Mike Harper, of B9 Energy, based in Larne, Co Antrim, said the wind farm was built in preparation for the upcoming Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation.