Ørsted, one of the largest renewable developers in the world, has started to build its second solar farm in Ireland.

Once built, the 55MW solar farm, located in Ballinrea, between Carrigaline and Cork city, will produce enough electricity to power 16,000 homes.

The project was awarded a Government-backed RESS 4 contract in September 2024 and it is expected the solar farm will be fully operational in 2026.

Ballinrea marks Ørsted’s second solar project to take off in Ireland, following the 81MW first phase of Garreenleen Solar Farm in Carlow, on which construction began in June last year.

Pipeline

In solar, Ørsted’s current pipeline stands at over 700MW, supporting the Irish Government's 8GW solar energy target by 2030.

The investment in Ballinrea is the 21st advanced or operational onshore wind and solar project in Ireland, powering the equivalent of 250,000 homes nationwide.

Commenting on the news, vice-president Onshore in UK & Ireland at Ørsted TJ Hunter said: “2024 marked Ørsted’s biggest ever construction year with 1.5GW of onshore renewables and 6.7GW of offshore wind currently in construction across the globe.

"While challenges remain, we are confident we are going in the right direction to create an energy system run on clean, reliable and renewable power.”

Ørsted’s investment in Ireland has reached €800m across a mixed portfolio of wind and solar projects.