Ørsted takes final investment decision on Amazon-backed Northern Irish wind farm

Ørsted A/S made a final investment decision on the 16-MW Ballykeel onshore wind farm in Northern Ireland, after signing a power purchase agreement with Amazon.com Inc. in December 2021.

Ørsted acquired the wind farm in June 2021 having bought Brookfield Renewable Partners LP's onshore wind business in Ireland and the U.K., according to a Jan. 13 company news release.

"This project is the first project in Northern Ireland to reach [a final investment decision] under a corporate [power purchase agreement], which shows that it's possible to add green power to the Northern Ireland grid in the absence of government subsidies for renewable projects," said Kieran White, vice president and managing director of onshore in Ireland and the U.K. at Ørsted.

The project is scheduled to go online in 2023, raising Ørsted's onshore capacity in Ireland to 372 MW in total.