Wind generation snapped up by Energia

Energia, the electricity supply subsidiary of Northern Ireland based energy group Viridian, has signed long term power purchase agreements with developers of 15 new wind farms in Ireland covering a total capacity of 165 MW. The contracts underpin the construction of both small and large projects in Counties Cork, Kerry, Donegal, Galway and Tipperary. Projects ranging in size from 6 MW to 40 MW account for 157 MW of capacity, while small projects of between 1 MW and 4 MW total 8.25 MW. They are being built under the Irish government's REFIT (Renewable Energy Feed In Tariff) program, which offers fixed-price contracts to selected projects, and are due to come online between 2007 and 2009. The total value of the contracts over their 15 year lives is estimated at around EUR 650 million. Energia is among a number of companies snapping up REFIT capacity in the Irish market, which has only a very limited supply of independent generation. According to the company, the power will be marketed as green energy but sold without a premium price tag.