Oriel Wind Farm

Oriel Wind Farm
Location of Oriel Wind Farm in Ireland
Country	Ireland
Location	Southeast of Dundalk, Irish Sea
Coordinates	53°55′05″N 6°04′05″W / 53.918°N 6.068°W / 53.918; -6.068Coordinates: 53°55′05″N 6°04′05″W / 53.918°N 6.068°W / 53.918; -6.068
Status	Proposed
Construction cost	€900 million to €1 billion[1]
Wind farm
Type	Offshore
Site area	28 km2 (11 sq mi)
Max. water depth	15–30 m (49–98 ft)
Distance from shore	7.8 km (4.8 mi)
Hub height	100 m (328 ft)
Rotor diameter	120 m (394 ft)
Power generation
Units operational	55 X 6 MW
Nameplate capacity	330 MW

Oriel Wind Farm is a proposed offshore wind farm in the northwestern Irish Sea. The project is owned and developed by Oriel Windfarm Limited, a privately owned Irish renewable energy company.

The proposed Oriel wind farm will be located near Clogherhead, approximately 22 kilometres (14 mi) southeast of Dundalk, County Louth, and approximately 24 kilometres (15 mi) northeast of Drogheda.^[2] The farm takes its name from the ancient Kingdom of Oriel.

Environmental impact

Detailed surveys and studies of the physical, ecological, and human environment at the proposed wind farm site have been carried out since 2003. These ranged from geotechnical assessments of the area to surveys of birds flying above the site.^[3]

Construction

In 2013 it was said that construction would start in 2015, with the entire development completed by 2017.^[3] However by 2014, the project was on hold pending talks between the Irish and UK governments on exporting the electricity to the UK.^[4]

Output

Once completed, the wind farm will be capable of generating up to 330 megawatts of electricity. The generated electricity will be fed into the National Grid at one of the following locations: Castlebellingham or Dunany in County Louth or Bremore in County Dublin. The output will then be exported via interconnector to the UK and European energy markets^[2]

References