Wind Energy – Ireland
Today, the Irish Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment has provisionally awarded the joint venture, formed by ESB and Ørsted, the rights to develop the Tonn Nua site, which is off the coast of County Waterford and spans 306 km2.
Tonn Nua has been designated by the Irish government as the only site for bidders under the Offshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (ORESS) Tonn Nua, Ireland’s second offshore wind auction.
The auction offers a partially indexed 20-year contract for difference (CfD), and the right to apply for a seabed lease and grid connection for the winning bidder. The contract for difference is to support the development of a 900 MW fixed-bottom offshore wind farm for the Tonn Nua site.
The Tonn Nua site is in an early phase of development. The project now needs to be assessed, matured, and successfully pass all gates in the JV’s stage-gate process, including meeting the value creation criteria.
Final investment decision is expected around 2031 and first power in the mid-2030s.
The awarded project is for a fixed-bottom offshore wind development at the Tonn Nua maritime site, located off the coast of County Waterford.
