Bord Gais has officially opened its first wind farm in Ballymartin near Mullinavat in Ireland as part of its €400m investment programme in wind energy.
The wind farm located in County Kilkenny has energy export capacity of 6MW, and its total power generation capacity can be increased to 14MW following a further extension of the farm, which will begin in the last quarter of 2012.
As part of its €400m investment, Bord Gais also plans to further develop 250MW of wind energy over the next three years.
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By GlobalDataThe company is planning to add an additional 42MW of wind energy by making a second wind farm operational in Garracummer, County Tipperary, at the end of this year.
According to Bord Gais, both wind firms will be able to provide enough energy to power over 30,000 homes this year.
Bord Gais is expected to raise its wind power generation capacity enough to power 180,000 homes by the end of the year from the existing capacity that can power 150,000 homes.
The company operates 132 turbines on 13 wind farms in eight counties and owns 15% of the installed wind capacity in Ireland, while the company has acquired wind farms elsewhere in the country.
The Irish government has set a 40% energy production target from renewable sources in next eight years.
Bord Gais, the ESB, Bord na Mona and Coillte are the four state-run agencies that are actively involved providing wind energy in Ireland.
Image: Bord Gais opens its first wind farm in Ballymartin,Ireland. Photo: Bord Gais.
