A significant investment by GE in Ireland's first off shore wind farm was marked by an official inauguration of the project by An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern T.D. The Arklow Bank Offshore Wind Park is a milestone project for both the global wind industry and Ireland. The Taoiseach was joined at the event by leading figures from the Irish parliament, business and local community.

Built, owned and operated by GE Energy, the plant is the first large-scale offshore wind energy facility developed solely as a technology demonstration and learning platform for offshore wind power. Co-developed by GE Energy and Airtricity, Ireland's largest renewable energy company, the Arklow Offshore Wind Park was first introduced by Airtricity as a 520 megawatt project, and is the largest offshore wind park to attain preliminary planning approval through a Fore Shore Lease granted by the Irish Government.

The Arklow Bank Wind Park comprises of seven 3.6-megawatt wind turbines, which provide 25 megawatts of wind-generated capacity to Ireland's electricity grid, enough to supply the annual needs of approximately 16,000 average Irish homes. The turbines each taller, above water level, than a 30-story building, have rotor blade tip-to-tip dimensions that sweep the size of a soccer pitch. The project is located 10 kilometers from Arklow's shore on the Arklow Bank in the Irish Sea.

Speaking at the event, An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said, "Incorporating wind electricity into Ireland's energy mix increases our fuel diversity and also enhances the country's energy security by allowing production of electricity through Ireland's clean and abundant natural energy source, the wind."

Mark Little, global vice president-power generation for GE Energy said, "As the world searches for cleaner and more sustainable methods of generating electricity, wind power is a renewable technology that has moved center stage. As evidenced by GE's recent 'ecomagination' launch, our commitment to cleaner energy solutions, including offshore wind power, is to the forefront of our company's business initiatives. The Irish Sea, with its strong, abundant winds and sea conditions has challenged this milestone project, which has provided a showcase for both the wind industry and Ireland,"

GE announced that it is to double its investment to $1.5billion annually for research of cleaner and more environmentally friendly products as part of its 'ecomagination' strategy. The company has identified 17 products, which fall into its 'ecomagination' category. The 3.6MW wind turbine's used in the Arklow Bank project are among these.

Testing indicates that the output of the wind park is more than 102% above its expected power curve, and, despite the harsh weather conditions and environment, the project is exceeding its availability targets.

Commenting on the project Dan O'Connor, National Executive for GE Ireland said: "This is a significant milestone in the development of GE's presence in Ireland. We are proud of the contribution, which we make to this country and we are very committed to Ireland as a base from which to do business. Today we employ over 2,200 people across 19 businesses in Ireland."

Currently, Ireland is 90% dependent on imported fuels. The energy generated by the project will reduce the requirement to import 15,000 tons of fossil fuels per year resulting in a reduction of approximately 68,000 tons of CO2 emissions, the equivalent of taking 16,000 cars off the road*.

The Arklow project has already provided a welcome boost for the local economy during the construction and early operation phases and the project is expected to bring ongoing benefits locally. "The wind turbines are a huge attraction and are helping to make our young people aware of alternative ways to create energy in a safe and clean environment," said Deirdre Byrne, president of the Arklow Chamber of Commerce.

The location for the project was chosen because wind speed testing revealed that it is one of the windiest spots in Europe. Related Links GE Wind Energy

Related Links