Renewable energy firm Statkraft has announced plans to roll out 3 gigawatts of renewable energy projects in Ireland by 2030, which will include its 500MW North Irish Sea Array (NISA) offshore wind project.
Statkraft said that reaching its 3-gigawatt target would make a significant contribution to the State's target of generating 80% of electricity from renewable sources by the end of the decade.
Statkraft's plan includes 1.5 GW of projects that have recently been built or are already in construction as well as an additional 330 MW with signed route to market through the Government's Renewable Electricity Supply Scheme (RESS) or via Corporate Power Purchase Agreement (CPPA).
It also includes 500 MW from the offshore RESS contract for the company's NISA project, which is planned for an area off the coast of counties Dublin, Louth, and Meath.
The company also cites an additional 400 MW of wind and solar projects that have full planning permission, with route to market planned for this year.
Statkraft said it also has several grid services projects that have also been granted planning permission and a route to market will be sought for these projects this year.
The Irish arm of the Norwegian state-owned renewables giant said that plans for over 375 MW of wind and solar projects have been submitted to An Bord Pleanála and are awaiting a decision.
Sufficient land has been secured to allow for a pipeline of projects totalling between 200 MW and 250 MW to be submitted for planning permission every year for the next three or four years, the company added.
Kevin O'Donovan, Managing Director of Statkraft Ireland, said that since the company first entered the Irish market in 2018, it has been making huge strides to ensure that its projects make an important contribution to the "80 by 30" targets set by the Government.
"Our work continues apace and the plans we've unveiled today demonstrate our determination to make a real difference to Ireland's climate and energy security," Mr O'Donovan said.
"We've always said that there's no silver bullet to reducing emissions from the energy sector. Ireland's energy future needs will be powered by a range of renewable technologies working in harmony, so we're proud to be one of the country's first renewable energy companies to have a fully integrated approach to clean energy production," he added.
