Solar farm set for Kilmoney

The sod has been turned on a new solar farm in Cork county.

Amarenco, which is headquartered in Cork, said on Monday that its Kilmoney 5MW Solar Farm is the first of near 20 investments it has ear-marked for Cork over the next 4 years.

The total investment will be €200m and the first €40m of solar farms are now in construction with 4 other plants underway at Mallow, Whitechurch, Inniscarra and Kanturk.

Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney TD turned the sod on Amarenco’s first solar farm on Monday.

Minister Coveney said at the event: “I am very pleased to support the first solar farm of scale to be built in Cork by Amarenco. Solar will play a significant part of Ireland’s renewable future. Through a combination of wind and solar, Ireland has the capacity to generate significantly more electricity than our own grid requires, by harnessing renewable resources.

“The future for renewables in Ireland is positive. Within the next decade Ireland will become a significant exporter of clean, green energy to the rest of Europe. Today is an important beginning,” the minister added.

John Mullins, Executive Chairman of Amarenco said: “It is a great honour to have Minister Coveney turn the sod on this project in his own back yard. This plant combined with Amarenco’s other investments in solar farms will assist the Irish energy sector reach its legally binding targets by 2030.

“These plants will bring clean renewable energy to residential, commercial and industrial customers in the State. Amarenco will be engaging in community supports with all communities where we construct solar farms.”

Ronan Murphy, MD of Amarenco in Ireland said: “We are very thankful to all who have supported these projects over the years, and we particularly wish to thank our contractors, Greencells and Mainline Group and our planning consultants McCutcheon Halley.”

Amarenco was established in 2013 to finance and develop renewable energy infrastructures, particularly in France and Ireland.

Now active in Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, the group designs, develops, finances, acquires, builds and operates medium to large-scale solar photovoltaic infrastructure. It has already carried out more than 2,000 solar and solarised infrastructure projects and is the European leader in agrivoltaic infrastructure.

The group, which invests more than €500m euros each year, currently employs more than 200 people worldwide with 35 based in the Cork office.