Terra Solar II is to bid 150MW of solar in Ireland’s upcoming Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS).
The company is the creation of David Fewer and André Fernon, the duo that previously set up Terra Solar Limited. They sold its projects – totaling 118MW – to ESB earlier this month and shut up shop for good.
Now, the remaining company – Terra Solar II – is to bid into Ireland’s maiden RESS auction, which has seen its application date pushed back to 30 April due to COVID-19.
Solar Power Portal also understands that Terra Solar II has raised €10 million to support its development plans, with the company having an 800MW pipeline stretching across seven counties.
Once operational, this pipeline is set to deliver 3% of Ireland’s energy needs, Terra said, with the company having sites with grid connections to ESB Networks and Eirgrid with the capacity to deliver 300MW of solar power to the national grid.
It has also secured planning permission for a 125MW site in Cork that it is lauding as the largest in the country.
Alongside its 150MW bid, the company said it has a further 300-400MW ready to bid into the second RESS auction. It has 380MW with full planning permission and 220MW either in or going into the planning permission.
“The Irish market is at the beginning of a transformational evolution to renewable energy and solar has the potential to deliver 5 to 6 GW between now and 2030,” Fernon said.
“Equally, due to the dramatic fall in the cost of solar in recent years and the speed at which solar can be deployed, solar represents the ideal electricity source to help move us closer to our renewable energy targets.”