Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and Statkraft have secured a 500 MW contract through Ireland’s Offshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme 1 (ORESS-1) auction for the North Irish Sea Array (NISA) offshore wind project.

The project is earmarked for an area off the east coast of Ireland and will have the capacity to power approximately half a million Irish homes and businesses.

“The 20-year contract provides a strong basis on which to continue the development of the NISA project,” says Nischal Agarwal, partner at CIP. “The Irish government must be commended for implementing a reliable framework to deliver competitively priced offshore wind, and we look forward to moving the project forward in collaboration with national and local stakeholders.”

In January, CIP announced a partnership with Statkraft to develop up to 2.2 GW of offshore wind off the Irish coast. As the exclusive offshore wind development partner to CIP, Copenhagen Offshore Partners will co-lead project development activities.

These projects are expected to be among the first commercial-scale offshore wind projects in Ireland, with commercial operations anticipated for 2028.