Danish company win contract to supply wind turbines to Offaly wind farm

THE contract for the supply of wind turbines for the Bord na Mona, Derrinlough, Wind Farm, has been awarded to Danish company Vestas.

The order includes a total of 21 V150-6.0 MW EnVentus wind turbines with a site-specific hub height of 110m.

Once installed it will be the largest single wind farm installation in Ireland.

The development of Derrinlough represents an investment by Bord na Mona of €150m in low carbon electricity generation infrastructure in Offaly.

John Reilly head of Bord na Mona Renewable Energy said: ''Following a very competitive international tender process we are pleased to award the 21 turbine contract for Derrinlough Wind Farm to Vestas. We very much look forward to working with Vestas once again over the coming months to deliver affordable green energy that enhances Ireland's energy security.

Bord na Mona is committed to green energy for the people of Ireland which is evident by the investment of over €150m by the company in the development of this project. We're proud to help power a sustainable energy future for Irish Communities through our renewable energy assets such as wind.''

The delivery and installation of the wind turbines is forecast to occur in the first quarter of 2024 with the commissioning scheduled for the third quarter of 2024.

The project is expected to deliver 120 jobs at peak construction. In addition a Community Benefit Fund including a Near Neighbour Scheme is included in the development.

A number of long term high quality technical jobs in operations and maintenance will also be created.

There will also be additional employment during the construction phase involving the supply of services and materials to the wind farm.

An additional 10km of local amenity links will be provided. These will include three access points from the adjacent road network, connectivity to Lough Boora Discovery Park and potential future connectivity to the proposed Whigsborough Amenity Walk.

The order includes supply, installation, and commissioning of the turbines, as well as a 20-year Active Output Management 5000 service agreement, designed to ensure optimised performance of the assets.

Juan Furones, Vice President Sales for Northern and Central Europe at Vestas said: ''Vestas are delighted to once again partner with Bord na Mona in Ireland. Derrinlough marks the continued relationship between Bord na Mona and Vestas following the successful delivery of the Cloncreen project.''