RWE gets provisional Contract for Difference for Dublin Array

Ireland – RWE has been awarded a Contract for Difference (CfD) in the inaugural Irish Offshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (ORESS1) auction, which is being handled by Irish grid operator EirGrid.

The provisionally successful offers’ weighted average strike price was €86.05/MWh. The Dublin Array Offshore Wind Farm, which would be developed off the east coast of Ireland and have a maximum installed capacity of 824 megawatts (MW), is the subject of the tentative bid from RWE. RWE is a significant renewable energy developer in Ireland and the Irish government’s primary partner in achieving its 2030 offshore wind ambitions and 2050 goal of achieving net zero emissions.

Before EirGrid can formally confirm the auction results, there will be a period of review following the provisional CfD announcement. If Dublin Array is officially declared a success on June 14, RWE will then proceed to submit a permit application while also finishing the last stages of the full design and procurement. After receiving consent, a financial investment decision would be made with a 2028 target COD.

The Kish and Bray Banks, about 10 kilometers off the coasts of the counties of Dublin and Wicklow, are the site of the proposed Dublin Array offshore wind farm. Depending on the kind of turbine selected at the time, Dublin Array might have up to 50 turbines when fully operational, with an installed capacity of 824 MW. The amount of clean, green electricity it produces would aid in lowering Ireland’s annual carbon emissions.

Dublin Array partners

Together with Saorgus Energy, RWE is building the Dublin Array; each partner owns a 50% stake in the venture. Along with Dublin Array, RWE is also in the early phases of creating East Celtic Offshore Wind Farm, a second sizable offshore project off the coast of Ireland.

RWE is expanding its portfolio of offshore wind projects globally. The company is currently building the 1 GW Thor Offshore Wind Farm in the Danish North Sea and the 1.4 GW Sofia Offshore Wind Farm off the east coast of the United Kingdom. RWE also runs 19 offshore wind farms in five different countries. RWE intends to increase its offshore wind capacity from 3.3 GW to 8 GW by 2030 (accounting for RWE’s share only), including six projects already in the UK’s Dogger Bank South (East) and Dogger Bank South (West) development pipelines, as well as four offshore wind extension projects, Awel y Môr, Rampion 2, North Falls, and Five Estuaries.