Statkraft has installed the first turbine at its 23MW Kilathmoy wind farm in the south-west of Ireland, its first in the country.
The Norwegian developer erected a Nordex N100/3300 unit at the project on the Limerick and Kerry border.
Commercial operations are to begin in February 2020 before the end-March closure of national support scheme Refit 2, the company said.
“It is extremely satisfying to see the Kilathmoy wind farm reach this stage and this of course, continues our upward growth trajectory,” said Statkraft Ireland managing director Kevin O’Donovan.
“The construction of this wind farm will not only go towards achieving Statkraft’s overall targets but it will also make an important contribution towards meeting Ireland’s new target of 70% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030. Currently this figure stands at approximately 30% and as such, we have a big task ahead of us.”
Head of construction management Conor Calnan added” “Our aim has been to foster a safe working environment capable of delivering a quality project, on time and within budget.”
“All of the contractors working on the project, including Keating Construction on civils, Suir Engineering on electricals and the Nordex team on turbines have embraced the Statkraft way in terms of proactively promoting a safe working culture.”
Statkraft plans to spend €1.5bn in the Irish renewables market by 2025.