RWE: A leader in renewable energy

With more than 125 years of successful history behind us, RWE is now a leading supplier of renewables worldwide. This in line with our Growing Green investment and growth strategy, which will see RWE investing €55 billion in green technologies between 2024 and 2030.

Kilkenny based RWE expands its portfolio in Ireland

RWE Renewables (RWE) has had its head office in Kilkenny since 2016. RWE is actively seeking new opportunities to develop renewable energy projects and technologies across Ireland.

Clíona O’Sullivan, Head of Onshore Renewables Development (Wind, Solar and Storage) Ireland, says: “RWE in Ireland is expanding its portfolio to be a long-term energy partner for the country during our transition to carbon neutrality.”

The Irish Government set a roadmap to reduce our country’s carbon emissions by 51 per cent by 2030, compared to 2018 levels and reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. “Many of the changes that are required in the Climate Action Plan 2024 (CAP24) will also have positive economic and societal benefits and a more sustainable economy for the long term,” O’Sullivan continues.

Ireland’s CAP24 requires the transition to a climate-resilient, biodiversity-rich, environmentally sustainable, and climate-neutral economy. O’Sullivan says that to achieve these objectives, “we must harness our massive renewable natural resources. CAP24 provides us with greater energy security, stable prices, more jobs, and regional development, particularly for rural communities”.

Electricity will play an important role in the decarbonisation of sectors through electrification, including transport, heating, and industry. Among the measures is to increase the proportion of renewable electricity to up to 80 per cent by 2030. A target of 9GW of renewable energy from onshore wind, 8GW from solar, and at least 5GW generated from offshore wind opportunities has been set to be achieved by 2030.

“To reach our targets we will need to double the installed capacity of onshore wind in Ireland from over 4,400MW to 9,000MW. The development of new onshore wind farms is crucial as we move away from our reliance on fossil fuels. Developing renewable energy in Ireland gives us a security of supply and frees us from the dependence on imported fossil fuels,” O’Sullivan adds.

Onshore wind is still important to the decarbonisation of the electricity market. Ireland has enormous wind generation potential. It is a clean, non-polluting energy source which does not produce harmful emissions of greenhouse gases in its generation.

“Renewable energy including onshore wind can help us achieve our climate action goals. Onshore wind development will also continue to provide investment and employment nationally, regionally and locally, and particularly to rural communities,” O’Sullivan concludes.

RWE Renewables Ireland: Pioneering offshore wind

The Dublin Array Offshore Wind Farm team at our recent offsite team-building day in September 2024 at Kilruddery House and Gardens, County Wicklow.

RWE Renewables Ireland is leading the delivery of offshore wind projects with an expanding portfolio to support Ireland delivering its ambitious targets for the delivery of 5GW offshore wind by 2030, and at least 37GW by 2050.

Peter Lefroy, Offshore Development Head for Ireland and UK West, comments: “The development of this pipeline presents an exciting opportunity for the Irish economy. With our success in onshore wind projects, we’ve built strong expertise in professional services, construction and operations. However, the scale and projected growth of offshore presents an opportunity of a different magnitude – not only in terms of those existing services but also in respect of regional development, infrastructure, education, training, innovation, and R&D.”

Dublin Array Offshore Wind Farm

Dublin Array is a proposed offshore wind farm, which will be located approximately 10km from the coast of counties Dublin and Wicklow. Once operational, the project will deliver up to 824MW of renewable electricity and will consist of between 39 and 50 wind turbines, which is enough energy to supply approximately 770,000 homes.

Dublin Array was awarded its seabed lease, the Maritime Area Consent (MAC) in December 2022 and a route to market via the Contracts for Difference (CfD) in June 2023, allowing the development to apply for planning permission, which is planned for later in 2024. Subject to planning permission, the project is working to be operational by the end of the decade.

The planned activities for Dublin Array’s operational base in the Dún Laoghaire area are expected to generate €220 million in local expenditure during the construction phase and approximately €540 million across the Greater Dublin region during the operational phase.

Commenting on the job opportunities Vanessa O’Connell, Project Director for Dublin Array Offshore Wind Farm, says: “I returned home to Ireland to work in this rapidly growing industry, and I am thrilled by the potential for numerous skilled roles to emerge from this project. Over 1,000 jobs will be created during the construction stage, with an additional 240 positions during the operational phase. We are committed to supporting the local community and will prioritize a local supply chain where possible, as we do on other RWE offshore wind farms worldwide.”

Our team

As Dublin Array Offshore Wind Farm progresses through development, we are expanding our team in Ireland to support project delivery. With this expansion, we are moving into a new office in Dún Laoghaire.

Over the past six to 18 months, Dublin Array has recruited a diverse group of professionals with a broad range of experience, competencies, skills, and expertise covering environmental, engineering, legal and commercial. This recruitment underscores our commitment to the project success, our local community, and the offshore wind industry.

W: www.ie.rwe.com