The location of one of the solar farms in Gorey, Wexford, is an area with one of the highest irradiation regions in Ireland. Image: www.public-domain-image.com.

Mytilineos, a Greek energy company, has signed two long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Keppel DC REIT, an Asian data centre real estate trust. The latter will power its two Dublin facilities with energy generated from solar farms in Ireland.

The two Greek-owned solar farms are located in Wexford and Kilkenny and have a collective capacity of 14.28MW.

Gary Watson, country manager of Keppel DC REIT (Ireland), said: “As an established colocation data centre provider in Ireland, Keppel DC REIT is committed to achieve net zero in its operations in Ireland by 2030, in accordance with Ireland’s Climate Action Plan and its pledge to the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact.

“By strengthening our commitment to address climate change, we believe that we can better support our clients’ sustainability goals.”

Following the two latest PPAs, roughly 92% of Keppel DC REIT’s power requirements for its Irish data centres will be met by Irish renewable sources. The PPAs dictate that Mytilineos will deliver about 11% of the data centres’ total power requirements once its solar farms are completed in the summer of 2024.

Mytilineos’ executive director of renewables Nikos Papapetrou said: “This signing of Mytilineos’ first PPA in Ireland strengthens the company’s presence in the local renewable energy market and fosters significant growth opportunities.

“We are proud to partner with Keppel, an international provider of reliable data centres across Europe and Asia Pacific, acknowledging the eminent need for green solutions, in a demanding energy market.”

Irish solar development

The location of one of the solar farms, Gorey, Wexford, is an area with one of the highest irradiation regions in Ireland. The country is rapidly emerging as a key market for renewable energy generation, recently commissioning 1GW of energy storage capacity.

Ireland is also forecast to have the highest growth rate in Europe for electricity demand and consumption, with an average annual increase of almost 7%.

On 22 May, Lightsource bp outlined its proposal for a 57MW solar and 54MW co-located energy storage installation on 182 acres of land in County Meath, Ireland.