SSE Renewables, a subsidiary of the Scottish energy company SSE, has unveiled plans to develop an up to 1 GW offshore wind project on Ireland’s western coast, off the city of Tarbert, Co. Kerry. SSE Renewables is now seeking an investigative foreshore licence to facilitate survey work for the proposed new offshore wind park. This marks SSE Renewables’ first licence application for an offshore wind project off Ireland’s Atlantic coast. The company is developing an Irish offshore pipeline of up to 4 GW, which includes the Arklow Bank Wind Park 2 off the coast of Wicklow, and the Celtic Sea Array and Setanta Wind Park projects, which are located off Ireland’s south and north-east coasts respectively.
Earlier in April 2023, SE Renewables' sister company SSE Thermal secured 10-year contracts for two new biofuel-fired power plants in Ireland. Two proposed units at Tarbert in Co. Kerry (260 MW) and Platin in Co. Meath (140 MW) have received the contracts in the T-4 Capacity Auction to start in the 2026-2027 delivery year.
Ireland aims to reach 7 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 (up from 25 MW at the end of 2021). In March 2023, the Irish government approved plans to accelerate the delivery of 5 GW of offshore wind capacity under the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (ORESS 2) which will launch the first auction for offshore wind by the end of 2023. Ireland aims to source 80% of its electricity from renewables by 2030, as affirmed in the Climate Action Plan 2021 and in the updated 2023 Plan.
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