Solar farm fund offers aid to Carrigaline community projects

Community projects in Carrigaline are set to benefit from a fund being established by a company behind the development of a solar farm currently under construction.

A delegation from the French embassy in Ireland and the Irish embassy in France visited the project, one of three in Co Cork — including solar farms in Cobh and Timoleague — being developed by Cork-based renewable energy company Amarenco.

Amarenco was founded in 2013 by Alain Desvigne and John Mullins to finance and develop infrastructures around renewable energies, with a particular focus on Ireland and France. Since then, it has grown to become one of Europe’s leading renewable energy companies, with a workforce of more than 200 employees.

The 16MW Carrigaline project, situated on a site 1.5km to the east of the town, is set to be operational by the end of this year and will generate enough green electricity to power in the region of 3,000 homes. 

Ecologists

As part of the development, Amarenco has extensive ecological plans to increase the biodiversity of the site and has worked with local ecologists to establish exactly what the land needs to regenerate and restore the soil’s capacity to absorb carbon emissions, promote biodiversity, and retain water.

A community benefit fund will also be established once the project is operational, which will help to support community and sports projects and initiatives in the locality.

Céline Place, the French ambassador to Ireland, Alison Milton, the Irish ambassador to France, and representatives from both embassies were among the visitors to the project in Carrigaline.

Amarenco managing director Declan Cullinane said the company was delighted to welcome the French and Irish diplomatic groups to the town and show them the progress being made on the development as it nears completion.

He added: “This visit is an opportunity to see the work behind delivering renewable energy projects and the contribution that Franco-Irish cooperation can make to Ireland’s energy transition.

“Amarenco has a significant presence in France, so this relationship is particularly relevant to our business.

“As we work towards bringing the project into operation by the end of the year, our focus remains on delivering clean energy while building strong relationships with the communities around our projects.”

Ms Place said: “The clean energy transition is one of the most dynamic areas in Franco-Irish cooperation.

“As the merger of a French and an Irish company, Amarenco is the perfect example of the deep ties between our business ecosystem and how people-to-people connections can deliver great projects.

“Projects like Carrigaline demonstrate how our shared commitment to sustainability can deliver concrete results for both Ireland and France. Kudos to Amarenco for all their progress in finding renewable energy solutions.”