SSE Renewables and its partner Green Rebel have passed a “key milestone” in the Scottish utility’s €2.5 billion wind farm plan for the Irish Sea.
The pair have completed gathering information on the seabed off the east coast for phase two of SSE’s Arklow Wind Park, one of several big offshore energy projects planned for the region.
The survey will aid SSE in designing the wind farm, which will cost an estimated €2.5 billion and will generate enough electricity to power about 850,000 homes, according to some calculations.
Cork-based Green Rebel employs 80 scientists, engineers, ecologists and other specialists in surveying offshore sites for wind-energy developers.
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John O’Sullivan, SSE Renewables project manager, said the company was turning its focus on bidding for an electricity supply deal in the State’s offshore renewable energy support scheme later this year.
“We will also be running a public consultation in coming months,” he added.
[ Arklow Bank onshore facilities win approvalOpens in new window ]
Eoin Cotter, Green Rebel’s head of business development, noted that the Arklow Bank site’s combined wind, wave and climate conditions posed unique challenges.
He said the data collected would allow SSE Renewables to advance the project’s design.
The Cork company used its vessels the Roman Rebel and Lady Kathleen to gather the data.
