First Flight Wind
Shelved in 2014
First Flight Wind was Northern Ireland's first and only offshore wind farm proposal to receive a development licence from The Crown Estate. The 600MW project was developed by DONG Energy (now Ørsted), RES and B9 between 2011 and 2014. It was shelved in 2014 because of grid connection problems and changes to the support scheme.
Project overview
The partners carried out planning, environmental assessments and technical design work for an offshore wind farm in Northern Ireland waters.
The project was shelved for two reasons. Projected curtailment would have cut revenue by 20–30%, which undermined the project's economic viability. And the early end of the UK offshore wind ROC support scheme shortened the Northern Ireland development licence by two years, leaving too little time to complete critical tasks.
What the project achieved
- Development licence: the only offshore wind project in Northern Ireland to receive a development licence from The Crown Estate
- Capacity: a 600MW design capacity
Project status
Shelved in 2014.
Project details
- Location
- Irish Sea, off the County Down coast
- Capacity
- 600MW
- Developers
- DONG Energy (now Ørsted), RES, B9 Energy
- Dates
- 2011–2014
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