RWE’s portfolio of renewable development in Ireland was recently expanded with the acquisition of Western Power Offshore Developments Ltd. The acquisition of a development project with an indicative 900MW capacity will support RWE’s growth of offshore wind in Ireland. It is anticipated that consultation on the East Celtic project will occur in 2023. RWE, one of the most successful offshore wind companies in the world, recently completed the purchase of all of the shares of Western Power Offshore Developments Ltd., an Irish company that is currently in the preliminary stages of developing the East Celtic Wind Farm project located off the coast of Ireland.
The East Celtic project will significantly expand RWE’s offshore wind developments in Ireland. It will also contribute to RWE’s goal of expanding its powerful, environmentally friendly generation fleet internationally up to 50 gigawatts (GW) by the year 2030. The project is located approximately 10 kilometers off the coast of Wexford and Waterford in Ireland. RWE’s decision to move forward with the project as part of the acquisition not only reaffirms the company’s dedication to the expansion of offshore wind energy in Ireland but also positions it as a key partner for the Irish government in the achievement of its goal of connecting 7GW (7,000MW) of offshore wind capacity to the Grid by the year 2030. In addition, RWE is currently in the process of creating the Dublin Array wind farm project in conjunction with Saorgus Energy. This project will be located off the coast of Dublin and Wicklow and will have the capacity to generate between 600 and 900 MW of power.
“The acquisition of the East Celtic wind farm project is a significant step in the growth of RWE’s Irish offshore business,” said Sven Utermohlen, CEO Wind Offshore of RWE Renewables. “East Celtic is targeting inclusion in Ireland’s offshore Phase 2 round and could be invaluable in contributing to the Irish Government’s 80% renewable energy target by 2030,” said Utermohlen. “East Celtic is targeting inclusion in Ireland’s offshore Phase 2 round.” RWE is a global pioneer in the development of offshore wind, and we are excited about this next milestone in Ireland’s path toward a renewable energy future. We look forward to expanding our team and collaborating with stakeholders to move the project ahead.
The East Celtic project is still in its very first phases of development, and a number of crucial decisions, including those concerning the total scale of the wind farm, the positions of the turbines, cable routes, and land-based improvements, have not yet been decided. It has been decided to conduct a significant public consultation exercise in order to collect the opinions of the residents of the surrounding area in order to assist in informing the future course of the project’s design. It is possible that once it has been completely conceived and built, it will have the capability of producing up to 900 megawatts (MW) of sustainable wind energy. This potential is dependent on the final agreed upon installed capacity. It is predicted that this will also provide major economic advantages to the South East region of Ireland, both during the construction phase of the wind farm and over the whole operational life of the wind farm. This is something that will take place during both phases of the project.
