EirGrid has published the provisional results of the first auction under the Offshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (ORESS).
Described by EirGrid as a “seminal moment” in the delivery of offshore wind, the successful projects will help to achieve Ireland’s target of at least 80% renewable electricity by 2030 and reaching net zero no later than 2050.
The four successful offshore wind projects will provide a combined capacity of 3,074MW and include the 1,300 MW Codling Wind Park owned and developed by Fred Olsen Seawind and EDF Renewables; the 824MW Dublin Array owned and developed by RWE; the 500 MW North Irish Sea Array (NISA), owned and developed by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and Statkraft; and the 450 MW Sceirde Rocks wind farm owned and developed by Fuinneamh Sceirde Teoranta (FST), a joint venture owned by Corio Generation.
At a weighted average strike price of €86.05 MWh, it is significantly lower than the €150 per MWh allowed for in the auction and lower than many energy industry experts had predicted.
The four successful projects will now move to progress their planning applications to An Bord Pleanála while the unsuccessful applicants, Oriel Windfarm and Arklow Bank may seek an alternative route to market in the form of ORESS 2 or corporate power purchase agreements (CPPAs).