Ireland awards four contracts in first offshore wind auction

Electricite de France SA

11/05/2023 15:38

DUBLIN, May 11 (Reuters) - Ireland awarded contracts to
four offshore wind projects with the potential to produce 3.1
gigawatts of capacity in its first ever offshore wind power
auction, the government announced on Thursday.
    The schemes were awarded at a weighted average strike price
of 86.05 euros per megawatt-hour, below the maximum offer price
of 150 euros and surpassing expectations, Energy Minister Eamon
Ryan said in a statement.
    The contracts were awarded to a 1.3 gigawatts joint venture
between EDF Renewables  EDF.PA  and Fred Olsen Seawind, an 824 
megawatt RWE  RWEG.DE  project and 500 and 450 megawatt farms
led respectively by Norway's Statkraft and Corio Generation,
which is part of Macquarie's  MQG.AX  Green Investment Group.
    Two projects were unsuccessful.
    "The provisional results are not just a hugely positive
story for Irish energy consumers, but for Ireland as a whole,"
Ryan said in a statement. 
    "The results are further evidence of what many of us have
known for a long time; that we, as a nation, can develop and
produce enormous quantities of clean energy – securely and at
low cost."

 (Reporting by Padraic Halpin
Editing by Christina Fincher)
 ((padraic.halpin@thomsonreuters.com; +353 1 500 1504; Reuters
Messaging: padraic.halpin.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))