Oriel

Oriel Windfarm will be Ireland’s first fully operational offshore wind farm. It is being developed by Parkwind, our wholly owned offshore wind subsidiary, and ESB, Ireland’s leading electricity utility majority owned by the Irish Government.

The project site covers 24 km² in the Irish Sea 22 km off the coast of Dundalk, Ireland. Its turbines will add up to 375 megawatts in capacity to power approximately 300,000 households – significantly contributing to Ireland’s renewable energy target.

The development and operation of the Oriel wind farm project will also deliver significant local economic and community benefits to the Northeast region. The project will include a significant multi-million euro community fund that will be designed to benefit the local region and will be in operation throughout the life of the wind farm.

Development of the project began in 2003, and Parkwind entered the project in 2017. The partnership with ESB was created in 2019.

In 2024, we lodged the planning application for Oriel with An Bord Pleanála. The application also included the construction of offshore and onshore electricity substations, and all of the necessary submarine and underground cables that are required for the operation of the proposed new green energy project.

Speaking about the milestone, Garrett Connell, Parkwind Country Manager for Ireland said:

“This is a hugely significant moment, not just for Oriel and for the Northeast region, but for the entire Irish energy sector and the wider Irish economy… We have been working on making Oriel wind farm a reality for nearly 20 years and a huge amount of work has been completed to get to this key project milestone. Throughout this time, we have engaged and consulted with local communities and other stakeholders on many occasions, and we would encourage them to participate in this planning process, and make their views known to An Bord Pleanála.”