Irish renewable energy company Gaelectric has inaugurated its £20m Carn Hill wind farm at Newtownabbey, county Antrim in Northern Ireland.
The 13.8MW wind farm featuring six wind turbines is estimated to generate enough renewable power to cater to the energy requirement of nearly 8,000 homes per annum.
Gaelectric group finance director Barry Gavin said the opening of this wind farm marks the company’s transformation from a pre-revenue renewable energy development group to an energy development and operating group.
“The Carn Hill wind farm development is the first of a number of renewable energy projects that Gaelectric is progressing in Northern Ireland,” added Gavin.
Commenting on the occasion, Environment Minister Alex Attwood said: “Renewable energy is arguably our biggest economic opportunity. Wind farms are part of the story. Today’s event is positive proof of what can be achieved.
“We will need to scale up our ambition. We can do that while respecting the needs of residents, landowners and our wonderful heritage,” elaborated Attwood.
Gaelectric, meanwhile, has eight wind farm projects at different stages of development in Northern Ireland and 13 projects on the island of Ireland.
Â