The wind farm is forecast to be operational by 1 January 2037.
Located off County Waterford in the Republic of Ireland, the 306 km² Tonn Nua site was the sole project offered under the Offshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (ORESS) Tonn Nua, Ireland’s second offshore wind auction.
The award includes a partially indexed 20-year contract for difference (CfD) at a strike price of €98.71 ($114.43) per megawatt-hour. It enables the joint venture to apply for a seabed lease and grid connection, supporting the construction of a 900 MW fixed-bottom offshore wind farm.
The wind farm is scheduled to enter commercial operation by 1 January 2037, with the CfD commencing upon commissioning.
Ørsted Europe region development head Alana Kühne said: “We commend the Irish government for running a successful auction, continuing the support for the development of offshore wind in Ireland.
“Offshore wind will play an important part in the future Irish energy system, ensuring green, affordable and secure energy.
“We will continue to work with our joint venture partner ESB to carefully assess and progress this early-stage development opportunity, including ensuring that the project lives up to our value creation criteria.”
The 50/50 partnership between Danish energy company Ørsted and Irish utility ESB was established in 2023 to pursue offshore wind opportunities along Ireland’s coastline. Tonn Nua is the first project from this collaboration to secure auction rights.
ESB generation and trading executive director Jim Dollard said: “ESB is delighted with the outcome of the ORESS Tonn Nua auction.
“It secures a clear pathway for the development of a significant project off the coast of County Waterford, marking another important step toward Ireland’s renewable energy and net-zero ambitions.
“We look forward to working with our partners to deliver a project that provides significant energy security and price certainty for Irish consumers.”
The joint venture will now conduct detailed assessments and advance the project through its internal development process. Ireland’s transmission system operator, EirGrid, will be responsible for building the required transmission infrastructure, including offshore and onshore substations and export cables.
The successful award reinforces ongoing progress in expanding Ireland’s offshore renewable energy capacity.
