Just three weeks after winning in four RESS-1 auctions that guarantee fixed prices for its solar energy output, Wexford Solar has sold out all its projects to EDF Renewables.

The subsidiary of French energy giant EDF has acquired the Wexford company and all eight of its solar energy projects, including the RESS-winning Blusheens (11.5MW), Coolroe (7.4 MW) and Curraghmartin (5.7 MW), all in Co Wexford, plus Stamullen (5.8 MW) in Co Meath. EDF Renewables plans to build these projects in 2021.

EDF chief executive Matthieu Hue said:  “The Wexford solar projects are an important addition to our portfolio of onshore and offshore wind developments which we pursue at pace.”

And Statkraft Ireland has also acquired a recent RESS-1 winner, the Blundelstown Solar Farm in Meath, from Lightsource BP along with four other of its solar projects. The five projects have a combined energy capacity of 275MW and are located in Meath, Laois, Tipperary and Cork.

Statkraft managing director Kevin O’Donovan said the company would be making an investment decision in the coming months to construct the Blundelstown project. EDF's four other acquisitions from Lightsource are Harristown Solar Farm in Meath, Ballymacadam in Tipperary, Loughteague in Laois, and Monatooreen in Cork.

In Association with

Climate minister Eamon Ryan announced the result of the RESS-1 auction on September 9, with the successful solar projects being guaranteed a price of €104 per MWh produced, nearly double the current wholesale price.

Ryan expects that that the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme to subsidise wind and solar power will involve €1.4 billion in investment and will create more than 1,000 jobs as future auctions add more projects. The frequency of future RESS auctions will depend on the renewable electricity project supply pipeline, but Ryan said that a minimum of four auctions will occur between 2020 and 2025 to deliver on the 2030 targets.

Wind farms and solar projects are subsidised through the Public Service Obligation levy (PSO) paid by all domestic and business electricity consumers. For 2020-21, the levy has been increased to €480m, an increase of €300m-plus on the 2019-20 levy of €176m.

The levy bridges the gap between what wind farms receive for their output in the wholesale electricity market and a state-mandated ‘reference price’, i.e. a guaranteed price for their output.

Photo: Statkraft Ireland’s Kevin O’Donovan (left) with Simon Coveney, Minister for Foreign Affairs