Giant solar farm begins construction
Ørsted has begun construction in Co Carlow of its first Irish solar farm at Garreenleen
RENEWABLE energy company Ørsted has begun construction in Co Carlow of its first Irish solar farm - described as one of the largest solar farms in the country.
The 300-acre development, Garreenleen, is to span eight townlands, which include some lands that were used during the National Ploughing Championships in 2019 and would produce 80MW of power. The development land is located off the N80 near Ballon in the townlands of Ballintrane, Ballybrommel, Bendenstown, Clonmacshane, Garreenleen, Graiguealug, Tinnaclash and Templepeter.
In a statement this week Ørsted confirmed that it has begun construction on phase 1 and that once completed, the 81 MW solar project will support the Irish power system to “reduce its reliance on fossil fuel by providing green electricity on sunny days, while also generating enough renewable energy to power 29,000 homes”.
It is expected that Garreenleen Phase 1 will be operational in 2026. As part of the construction, Ørsted is also installing the necessary grid infrastructure for phase two of the solar project. “While Garreenleen is our first solar project to move to construction in Ireland, our strong solar pipeline currently stands at over 700 MW which gives us confidence that more will follow in line with the Irish Government's 8 GW solar energy target by 2030,” said TJ Hunter, Senior Director, Development & Operations in UK & Ireland at Ørsted. However the news hasn’t been universally welcomed by the local community. The company’s initial planning application in 2022 generated significant local opposition.
“I just don’t think the feelings or the opinions of the local community have been taken into account,” said local Donie McDonald.
“They are not listening to what we have to say – we have no say whatsoever and they are doing whatever they want."
The company stated that Garreenleen Phase 1 has a dedicated biodiversity management plan, which include planting over 1.2 kilometres of native hedgerows; enhancement of the environment along the river Burren bordering the site; and planting over three hectares of wildflower margins. Ørsted will also establish a performance-based fund of approximately €240,000 for the local community.
