Voltalia, an energy services provider, will undertake the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for Danish renewable energy company Ørsted’s 128MW development in County Carlow, eastern Ireland.
Voltalia already has a strong presence in Ireland, with a pipeline of 540 MW of projects operational and under construction. In August last year, the energy producer was selected to build and service several solar projects totaling 230 MW across Ireland, signing a 15-year agreement with independent energy producer Power Capital Renewable Energy.
“We are pleased with this first collaboration with Ørsted, one of the global leaders in our sector. With this new service contract, Voltalia illustrates its competitive position as a builder of solar power plants,” says Sébastien Clerc, CEO of Voltalia.
Meanwhile, Ørsted has made big strides in Ireland, having partnered with Irish energy developer Terra Solar last year to develop 400MW of new solar capacity in Ireland. This project is the first project developed from scratch for the company in Ireland.
The growth of the Irish solar sector
While glorious sunshine may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the Emerald Isle, Ireland has seen several high-profile solar energy projects come to fruition in recent months.
In May, Lightsource BP submitted proposals for a 57MW solar project with 54MW of co-located battery energy storage (BESS), located on 182 hectares of land in County Meath. Earlier that month, sustainable developer RES submitted a planning application to Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council for a 29.9MW solar project on land just outside Magheralin.
Meanwhile, Baywa.re recently announced that it had successfully secured planning permission for its first Irish solar farm from Tipperary County Council and An Bord Pleanála. The Springmount Solar Farm, a 60 MWp development, is expected to begin construction in 2026, with an expected in-service date of 2027.
Irish solar projects have become an increasingly important part of the island’s sustainable energy mix; Data from Ireland’s grid operator, EirGrid, showed that grid-scale solar met 4.4% of the country’s electricity demand in June 2024, a new record for the country. A total of 110 GWh of energy generation came from grid-scale solar projects, but actual total solar generation is likely to be significantly higher; the Irish Solar Energy Association notes that the 94,000 Irish homes fitted with solar panels have a total generating capacity of 373 MW. In June, renewable energy sources met 33.53% of Ireland’s energy demand.
