BREAKING: Ireland's largest solar project opens in Tipperary
Incredible!
Pictured above: Pat Fenlon Executive Director of ESB Customer Solutions (left) with Brian Killen AVP Operations and Plant Manager MSD Ballydine, Mairéad McCaul Managing Director MSD Human Health and Head of MSD Ireland Country Leadership Team and Ciaran Gallagher – Manager of ESB Smart Energy Services (right), pictured at the announcement the official opening of MSD Ballydine’s new solar project at Ballydine, Co Tipperary.
MSD Ireland has announced the official opening of its new solar project at Ballydine, county Tipperary.
The development is Ireland’s largest self-generation solar project. MSD Ireland is one of the country’s leading healthcare companies, having first established here over 50 years ago.
The company has over 2,800 employees currently across six sites in Ballydine, Brinny, county Cork, Dunboyne, county Meath, Carlow and Dublin.
MSD Ballydine, working with ESB’s Smart Energy Services, has built the 7.3MW ground mounted solar PV array to support the site in significantly reducing its carbon footprint, in line with MSD’s ambitious climate goals.
It is estimated that the system will generate approximately 7.9GWh (enough to power over 5,000 households with electricity) of clean renewable electricity for the MSD site, ensuring up to 20% of the site’s energy requirements are now coming from renewable energy sources.
Last year, MSD announced its ambitious goals to achieve carbon neutrality across its operations by 2025. These goals build on MSD’s long-standing focus of supporting the global effort to achieve the Paris Agreement goals by reducing demand for energy and minimising greenhouse gas emissions.
This project is just one of the many innovative initiatives MSD is developing to reduce emissions across their operations.
Commenting on the opening of the Ballydine solar farm Leo Varadkar, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, said: “Congratulations to MSD and the ESB on this ground-breaking project. By investing in Ireland’s largest solar project, which will fulfil over 20% of MSD Ballydine’s energy needs. MSD is taking the lead, while also securing a renewable energy source for its operations into the future, which we know now more than ever is crucial.
“It’s really fantastic to see such innovation and leadership. The very best of luck to the teams involved.”
In total to date, MSD has invested over $4 billion in its Irish operations and its annual turnover ranks as one of Ireland’s top 20 companies.
Brian Killen, AVP Operations and Plant Manager MSD Ballydine, said: “Here at Ballydine, we are very proud of this project and the difference it will make to how we operate and do business, and what we can do to improve our environmental impact.
“The solar project will enable our site to reduce our carbon footprint by 2,336 tonnes every year and it will play a key part in our overall renewable energy agenda.”