The ESB and Orsted partnership has won the 900MW Tonn Nua offshore wind auction in Ireland. The Dublin-headquartered utility and Danish giant have secured the site off County Waterford with a €98.72MWh bid.
The Irish-Danish alliance has beaten off competition from several other bidders to land the 20-year CfD, it is understood. EDF and Bord Gais Energy formed a partnership for the auction as did RWE and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners.
The Irish energy department DECC said the result of the auction, the state’s second following the ORESS 1 round in 2023, was “hugely competitive” and had “surpassed expectations.” It said the price is favourable compared to the average wholesale price of electricity in Ireland in 2025, which is €114MWh.
The Tonn Nua grid connection is due to go live in 2033. Orsted said a final investment decision is expected around 2031 with first power in the mid-2030s. The result is provisional until the final result is confirmed on 9 December.
Tonn Nua is one of four maritime sites within the SC-DMAP zone off the south coast identified for future offshore wind development. The government said it will now move towards making arrangements to bring the remaining three SC-DMAP sites to market.
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