Ørsted wins contract for 55-MW solar project in Irish auction

Danish clean energy group Ørsted A/S (CPH:ORSTED) has secured a contract for a 55-MW solar farm in Ballinrea, Ireland, in the country’s fourth onshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS 4) auction, the results of which were published on Monday.

The project is located between Carrigaline and Cork City and the developer aims to bring it online as early as 2026.

Ørsted has 24 advanced or operational onshore wind and solar projects in Ireland, including two projects awarded in 2023 in RESS 3. The Ballinrea solar farm project expands the company’s solar presence in Ireland, where it started construction of Garreenleen solar farm, its first solar project in the country, earlier this year.

Commenting on the auctions, TJ Hunter, director Ireland & UK at Ørsted, on Tuesday said: “Stable, iterative recurring auctions are a key feature of successful energy markets. RESS 3 was challenging as it lacked clarity on price and volume, however RESS 4 gave more transparency on the price cap if not volume, and clear terms and conditions for operators, so we welcome the government’s progress on this.”

The average price for solar in the auction was EUR 104.76 (USD 115.56) per MWh.

TJ Hunter also said that Ørsted has plans to expand its footprint in Ireland through a mix of onshore, offshore and solar projects. “Ireland is on the right track, but we still have challenges around planning and grid access to continue our expansion here and invest in technology that will help us reach our national and EU climate targets,” he added.

(EUR 1 = USD 1.103)

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