Cork Airport to invest in state-of-the-art solar farm to generate quarter of airport's electricity in future

CORK Airport is to invest in a new, state-of-the-art solar farm which it says will generate up to 25% of the airport’s electricity requirements into the future.

The project is now at design stage and will advance to planning application in the next 12 months with a view to being commissioned in 2025.

Cork Airport shared the plans as a new €6.2m electrical substation, expected to future proof the power infrastructure at Cork Airport for generations to come, was opened yesterday by Jack Chambers, the Minister of State at the Department of Transport.

The project took 24 months from the original plan to completion and was delivered within budget for €6.2m, with ‘strong financial support’ from the Department of Transport.

The new substation is part of a major upgrade in the power infrastructure at Cork Airport and, as part of this, the transport hub has reduced its energy consumption over recent years through the introduction of sustainable energy initiatives.

These measures include retrofitting of lighting across the campus, the replacement of diesel vehicles with fully electrical vehicles and the reduction in gas and electricity through advanced energy management and monitoring systems.

Final stage of project 

As he performed the official opening, Mr Chambers said the opening of the substation was the final phase in an overall runway rehabilitation project that got underway in 2021.

That project was supported by government funding of €14.6m.

“This substation is a substantial upgrade and improvement to the infrastructure of the airport and enables them to build on the great progress made to date in achieving energy efficiencies and supporting further sustainability initiatives,” said Mr Chambers.

“This investment underscores the commitment shown by Government to support our country’s regional airports, enhancing connectivity and delivering on providing balanced regional development.”

The head of airfield infrastructure and resident engineer at Cork Airport, Brian Culloty said the facility had been named the best regional airport in Europe twice in the last 10 years by the industry body Airport Council International.

“To be the best you have to be innovative, and this substation contains latest generation switching to seamlessly monitor energy usage across the campus and is linked to our building management system and airfield lighting control system,” said Mr Culloty, adding that he was very pleased with what he called “this piece of leading-edge electrical infrastructure”.

Increase in passengers expected in 2024

Niall McCarthy, the managing director of Cork Airport, said planning was an essential element in the success of the airport. “This electrical substation forms a key part of our infrastructure masterplan and pathway to meeting our 50% energy reduction target in 2027, three years ahead of the Government’s deadline of 2030.

“We will serve 2.8m passengers this year in 2023, and plan to welcome 3m passengers next year. This project further enhances our infrastructure for sustainable growth into the future.”

The substation was constructed by Mainline Group, with subcontracting works undertaken by Cumnor Construction Ltd and Douglas Controls, all Cork-based contractors.