Ireland’s oldest wind farm closes down to make way for one of Europe’s largest projects

Ireland’s oldest wind farm, the 6.45-megawatt (MW) Bellacorick facility, has been decommissioned to make way for the expansion of the adjacent Oweninny Wind Farm, already the largest onshore wind farm in Ireland.

Bellacorick was first commissioned in 1992, when it consisted of 21 wind turbines and generated enough electricity to power the equivalent of 4,500 households. It was owned and operated by Renewable Energy Ireland, whose major shareholder is the semi-state company Bord na Mona.

Decommissioning in November last year and was completed last weekend.

Oweninny currently has an installed capacity of 192 MW, and will soon add another 18 turbines, each rated at 6.5 MW – more than the total capacity of the 21 turbines that are being replaced.

The new turbines stand with a tip height of up to 200 metres, compared to the tip heights of 46 to 53 metres at the original facility.

Oweninny is already the biggest in the country, and its expansion will make it one of the biggest in Europe.

Meanwhile, the Irish Times reports that the wind turbine blades will be recycled by Armagh-based Plaswire and transformed into products used in construction boards, panels, fencing, walkways and kerbs.

Specialist materials business Plaswire recently developed a system for converting the fibreglass blades into a product called RX Polymer, which can be used in construction, the Irish Times reports.

Plaswire’s system means that the used equipment does not have to be dumped in landfills. Many other turbine components, some of which are metal, are also recycled.

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