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Aug/Sept 2010 www.esb.ie/em 
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Sustainability page 30
Gortahille Wind Farm Connection
THE FACT that Ireland has one of the largest wind resources in Europe is well documented. As a consequence the level of activity on the development of wind related projects continues to increase. Nationally, a total of 123 wind farms are connected at this point. 104 wind farms, with a total capacity of 694MW are connected through the Distribution system with the remaining 19 with a capacity of 685MW connected through the Transmission system. To date roughly half of the connected wind farms are in Projects South.
Many more projects are in the pipeline, as work continues on large tranches of connection offers for wind applications. These tranches are known as Gates. Currently work is progressing on the issue of offers for Gate 3, which will ultimately lead to another 4,000MW of wind being connected in the Republic of Ireland.
The level of activity in the South has ramped up considerably with the development of Gate 1 and 2. Once a developer accepts their connection offer, the associated design and construction work begins. At present in Projects South there are a total of 98 active projects which when connected will have an installed potential generating capacity of 1,135MW.
Gortahille Wind Farm Connection
The Gortahille wind farm was developed by the German Renewable Energy company, Abo Wind Ltd. This wind farm, which is situated 15km west of Carlow town, has the capability to deliver 21MW of wind generated electricity. Following the issuance of the connection offer by the Renewable Planning and Commercial sections as part of Gate 2 and subsequent acceptance by the developer, ESB Networks undertook to deliver the connection by December 2009. However this date was moved back to June 2010 due to changes in Abo Wind's delivery schedule and other related matters.
The connection of Gortahille wind farm required a new 38kV connection from the existing Graigue 38kV station to a new customer 38kV station ‘Monevea’ at the wind farm site.
A protection policy change has meant that going forward, ESBN will design, own and operate a single bay 38kV station at the wind farm site. The Developer will design and operate an adjoining station which will contain their own plant. In this case, a 21.5MVA, 38/10kV transformer and associated switchgear was installed by the developer's contractor. Monevea is the first such station to be constructed and much credit is due to all concerned in bringing its design, construction and energisation over the line.
The original Graigue 38kV station was a Siemens type station with 2 × 5MVA transformers. This has now been replaced utilising three GIS module units which incorporate the four 38kV feeders Carlow, Castlecomer, Pollerton and Monevea. In addition the station capacity was increased with the installation of 2 × 10MVA transformers.
It was originally planned to connect the development via a hybrid solution of 7km of 300SCA overhead line and 1.4km of underground cable. However, due to a number of difficulties, the design of the connection was altered and the final connection was provided via an 11km long cable route laid in the public road network.
The connection of Gortahille wind farm was a complex and detailed project involving close interaction between a large number of parties. Close collaboration between ESB Networks, ESBI and external contractors during the design, procurement, construction and commissioning phases ensured that the wind farm connection was energised on 20th June, 10 days ahead of the identified connection date of 30th June 2010.
Valuable learning gained from this and other projects is captured during the formal post project reviews, this information is then collated to ensure that we fine tune our ability to deliver these connections to schedule and continuously improve the level of service we offer to developers.
ABO Wind's development manager in Ireland, Mr. Norman Fisher, has formally acknowledged the efforts of ESB Networks and ESBI in delivering this connection, saying that it was critical to the viability of their development plans in Ireland and the successful connection ensured the company's continued presence in the Irish market.
ESB Networks, through the connection of the Gortahille and other wind farms continue to make their contribution towards the stated Government objective of generating 40% of electricity from renewable sources by 2020. This connection marks another step in implementing further improvements and changes within ESB Networks to meet the demands and challenges from this expanding activity. Operating in the most efficient manner will be critically important to meet developer expectations and the challenges posed by distribution contestability for all future wind farm connections. In the meantime, Gortahille is up and generating!
ESB Network Projects South would like to gratefully acknowledge the help and assistance of all those involved in bringing this project to a successful conclusion.
