Lightsource bp has confirmed the sale of five solar projects in Ireland at late stage development with a combined capacity of 275MWdc to Statkraft Ireland.
The projects are located in counties Meath, Laois, Tipperary and Cork and have been developed by Lightsource bp with full planning permission and grid connectivity which will allow Statkraft Ireland to secure a route to market, financing and begin construction.
One of the projects (Blundelstown in Meath) was a successful winner in Ireland's first competitive auction under the Government's new Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS-1) last month.
Lightsource bp CEO for Europe and International, Kareen Boutonnat said:"We have been developing and investing across the Island of Ireland since 2015, having constructed and connected the first utility scale solar projects in the North and progressing projects in the Republic. Completing this transaction with Statkraft Ireland proves the capability of our team in developing high quality, competitively priced projects, and we are also very pleased with the successful win in the RESS-1 auction. We continue to remain fully committed to developing and investing in Ireland's utility scale solar market, our local teams remain active in assessing future opportunities."
Statkraft Ireland Managing Director, Kevin O'Donovan stated:"We are very pleased to be adding to our rapidly-expanding portfolio with this suite of projects which dovetail perfectly with our ongoing efforts to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Lightsource bp has an established track record and as such, the high quality of each development rendered this bundle of solar farms, an extremely attractive proposition for us."