ESB in new partnership to develop solar plans
ESB and Irish-owned renewable energy firm Harmony Solar have entered into a multi-million euro partnership to develop ground-mounted solar projects in Ireland.
The agreement has the potential to provide renewable electricity for around 230,000 homes or more than 10pc of Ireland’s households by 2030, according to the companies.
There will be an initial capital investment of €30m in the partnership, with further funding provided in the medium to long term as the pipeline comes to fruition.
The first phase of the agreement will develop Harmony Solar’s existing 300MW portfolio, mainly located in Wexford and Kildare, with further phases on track to develop a total portfolio of over 1,000MW of large-scale solar projects.
“We already have an established position in the solar market in Ireland, with both ground-mounted and rooftop solar projects under development,” said Jim Dollard, director, ESB Generation and Trading. “This agreement represents another significant milestone, bolstering the company’s solar portfolio and our wider ambition in developing renewable electricity generation projects of scale.”
As per Government guidelines aimed at limiting the spread of Covid-19, Harmony Solar and ESB are currently undertaking desk-based work on their development pipeline.
Established in 2016, Harmony Solar is a Wexford-based renewable energy company.
It has agreed over 300MW of ground-mounted solar projects in Ireland and has an advanced pipeline of over 250MW. It intends to develop more than 1,000MW of ground-mounted solar projects across the country over the next six years.