Ireland’s largest Phase One offshore wind project, Codling Wind Park, has confirmed a 25% reduction in the number of turbines required to deliver the project. The wind park will be located off the County Wicklow coast and was initially estimated to require around 100 turbines. However, announcing the details of the project’s final design and layout, the project has confirmed a maximum of 75 and a minimum of 60 turbines will now be required. The minimum proposed turbine tip height has also been set at 288 metres or a maximum of 314 metres.
Even though this is a significant reduction in the number of wind turbines, the development will still generate 1,300 megawatts (MW) of clean electricity, enough to power over one million homes, which accounts for almost half (48%) of all permanent dwellings in Ireland. Huge advances in wind turbine technology, and more efficient turbine models combined with a more detailed understanding of the wind farm site, means a reduction of 83% in the number of turbines required from the original estimate of around 440.
As Afloat reported earlier, the development team says it will give “exclusive updates” on its Irish Sea project at a three-day public event in Wicklow in mid-April.
The project, a 50/50 joint venture between Fred. Olsen Seawind and EDF Renewables, will be located approximately 13 to 22 kilometres off the Co. Wicklow coast between Greystones and Wicklow Town. When operational, it will help Ireland meet over 26% of its 2030 grid-connected offshore wind targets while also helping the country achieve its target of generating 80% of its electricity from renewable energy by the same year.
The new details about the project were announced ahead of a third and final series of public engagements, which will be taking place this month. The series will include a number of exhibitions and dedicated information clinics in Wicklow Library, at a pop-up shop in Greystones, and in Sandymount Community Centre. The exhibitions and information clinics will provide members of the public as well as public representatives with further details on the design and layout, as well as details on the various onshore and offshore environmental, technical, and feasibility surveys which have been carried out as part of the project. Virtual reality headsets will also be available to attendees, enabling them to view the project from a variety of perspectives.
Project Director Scott Sutherland said everyone at Codling Wind Park was looking forward to sharing details of the final design with members of the local communities and other stakeholders ahead of submitting the planning application for the project. As well as details of the turbine numbers and layout, a Community Benefit Fund (CBF) of up to €200m will be established as part of the project to fund local community-based projects. The aim of the fund, which will be administered by an experienced and independent Fund Administrator, as part of the Offshore Renewable Energy Support Scheme (ORESS), is to deliver economic, environmental, social, and cultural benefits to local community groups over a twenty-year period.
Codling Wind Park Project Director Scott Sutherland
Mr. Sutherland also urged community groups to consider what projects or initiatives they would like to benefit from the fund, adding that the €10m per year Fund, one of the biggest anywhere in the world, would not become available until after the project had received planning and begun construction. He stressed that the community would decide how the fund is spent and encouraged the community to start thinking about what they would like to see the fund being used for.
Codling Wind Park's aim has always been to protect the environment and mitigate any potential impacts, as well as proactively enhancing it where possible. With the wind park's reduced number of turbines, it will deliver clean energy to the Irish grid, helping stabilize the cost of electricity for Irish consumers while also contributing to Ireland's ambitious target to become a world leader in offshore wind.
