Irish utility ESB and compatriot forestry company-cum-developer Coillte are in talks about forming a partnership to develop up to 1GW of new renewables capacity by 2030.
The former company said “bilateral discussions” have started that would lead to a joint venture development company.
Both have worked together on several Irish wind farms in recent years, including the Raheenleagh and Castlepook projects in counties Wicklow and Cork, respectively.
“With appropriate approval in place, construction of the projects would commence in the early 2020s,” said ESB.
“They would be sensitively located, building on ESB’s and Coillte’s long experience of working with communities across the country.”
Coillte commenced the search last year for a development partner to build 1GW of new wind farms across its land holdings in Ireland, as first reported by subscriber-only newsletter reNEWS in 2017.
ESB has separate ambitions to develop up to 2GW of new renewables capacity, including in overseas markets such as Scotland and other technologies like offshore wind.