The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte TD, has today announced that Bord Gáis Energy (BGE) is to open two new wind farms in 2012 that will provide enough power for over 30,000 homes.

At the official opening of Bord Gáis Energy’s first developed wind farm, Ballymartin Wind Farm in Mullinavat, Co Kilkenny, Minister Rabbitte also confirmed that BGE will develop a further 250MWs of wind energy over the next three years as part of a €400m investment. The second windfarm to become operational in 2012 will be Garracummer Wind Farm in Co Tipperary, which will bring an additional 42MW of wind energy online.

Bord Gáis Energy is a key player in the Irish Wind market and has 15% of the installed wind capacity in Ireland at present. The company owns and operates 132 turbines on 13 wind farms in eight counties - Kerry, Cork, Limerick, Clare, Tipperary, Kilkenny, Donegal and Tyrone. The company's long term investment in renewable energy reflects and supports the Government’s target of having 40% of electricity produced by renewables by 2020. It is envisaged that wind energy will provide the largest source of renewable energy to achieve these targets.

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Minister Rabbitte said: "Renewable energy has a key role in shaping Ireland’s energy future by decarbonising our electricity generation over the coming years. Bord Gais Energy's commitment to investing in and developing wind farms, means that the company is now one of the largest generators of renewable energy in Ireland. Ireland needs long-term investment in projects such as the Ballymartin Wind Farm and in the next three years Bord Gais Energy will invest a further €400m on renewable energy projects. As the structure of the Irish energy market develops, there will be new and bigger market opportunities for our renewable energy sector to engage in. We must ensure that projects such as Ballymartin Wind Farm are encouraged so that Ireland can establish itself as a key renewable energy trading country."

(CD/GK)