Orsted has taken a final investment decision (FID) on a Northern Irish wind farm that will supply power to Amazon.
The Ballykeel Onshore Wind Farm is expected to be operational in 2023 and will bring the Danish company’s onshore capacity in Ireland to 372 megawatts (MW).
It will be located in County Antrim in the north-east of the country.
Orsted acquired Ballykeel in June 2021 and the FID follows the long-term fixed-price corporate power purchase agreement (CPPA) signed with Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN).
Announced in December last year, the deal is the first of its kind to be signed in Northern Ireland.
Kieran White, vice president and managing director of Ireland & UK onshore at Orsted, said: “I’m delighted that we’re continuing to bring renewable projects in Northern Ireland to FID, and we look forward to completing the Ballykeel project in close cooperation with Amazon. This project is the first project in Northern Ireland to reach FID under a corporate PPA, which shows that it’s possible to add green power to the Northern Ireland grid in the absence of government subsidies for renewable projects.”
Orsted Onshore entered the European market in April 2021 with the acquisition of Ireland and UK onshore wind business Brookfield Renewable Ireland.
The company says it is “continuously evaluating opportunities” to enter other European markets.
