Simply Blue Group, a leading global renewable energy developer, has acquired land in Whitegate, adjacent to Ireland’s only oil refinery as part of its plans to develop a renewable energy park to produce sustainable fuels.
The land acquisition represents an important stage in Simply Blue Group’s announced strategy to develop a portfolio of clean energy projects in Ireland and other markets, including Canada and Australia, using a diverse range of renewable feedstocks and inputs.
As part of its energy transition strategy, the Irish government has recognised that grid availability has restricted the expansion of renewable energy capacity in the country.
In response, it has set a 2030 target to develop 2GW of offshore wind power that will be reserved for non-grid off-takers.
Sustainable fuel production can provide an alternative route to market for renewable electricity as the nation aims to build 20GW of offshore wind capacity by 2040 and 37GW by 2050, Simply Blue said.
The land acquired by Simply Blue Group is adjacent to Ireland’s only oil refinery and has been zoned for industrial use for more than a decade.
The energy skills and experience developed in the community over the more than 60 years of refinery operation are an additional attraction for locating a renewable energy park on the land, the developer said.
The acquired land is near the high voltage transmission network, the natural gas transmission line and has shoreline access.
This means transmission cables from a future fixed-bottom offshore wind farms in the south coast Designated Maritime Area Plan can potentially be brought ashore to provide renewable power for sustainable fuel production.
Hugh Kelly, co-founder and chief executive of Simply Blue Group, said: “We are on a mission to deliver clean energy projects to forward the energy transition.
“Our outwardly focused and responsive approach to project development has helped us to take strategic decisions to diversify the sustainable fuels we plan to produce.
“We recognise that sustainable fuels projects using non-grid renewable energy offer a rapid route to market for many renewable energy projects.”
Michael Galvin, director of hydrogen and sustainable fuels at Simply Blue Group, said: “The highly experienced and capable sustainable fuels team have worked diligently and conscientiously to achieve an important development step for a renewable energy park able to produce low-carbon fuels at Whitegate.
“Their work has been crucial to identifying and initiating this opportunity and ensuring that at every step along the way we have carefully managed relations with stakeholders across the site and the community.”