Largest ‘private wire’ solar farm on the island of Ireland will drive cost efficiencies for Northern Ireland dairy producer

Dale Farm is soon to become a green energy leader in the global dairy sector following the confirmation of a new build ‘private wire’ solar farm in Cookstown, County Tyrone - the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland and thought to be one of the largest in the dairy sector worldwide. Working with CES Energy, a pioneering international provider of renewable energy, Dale Farm will switch to solar power for much of the energy requirements at its cheese processing facility in Dunmanbridge.

Construction is due to start mid 2017 on the 37 acre site which will be made up of more than 18,000 solar modules. Estimated to meet as much as a 20% of Dale Farm’s power needs, the 5MW solar farm will be connected directly to the private network of the business.

The scheme will also deliver considerable environmental gains. The vast energy reduction at the plant will save 2,460 tonnes of carbon emissions each year, the equivalent of taking 1,170 cars off the road.

Nick Whelan, Group Chief Executive at Dale Farm, said the company is “breaking new ground” with this venture:

“Dale Farm is delighted to be leading the way in the global dairy industry by powering our site in County Tyrone with green energy. This will not only be the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland - we understand it will be one of the most significant solar projects supplying renewable energy to dairy producers worldwide.

“Dale Farm is committed to sustainability and the opportunity to procure solar electricity will aid the company in lowering our carbon footprint and in reducing our operating costs. We recently invested £7 million to further expand our consumer cheddar products operation at Dunmanbridge, now one of the most advanced facilities of its kind in Europe. There is a shortage of available electricity in the local area which, to date, has made our ambitious growth plans challenging. It is strategically essential that as a business focused on growth we have certainty of supply and importantly, capability of supply.

“The considerable savings delivered from solar power will be reinvested in the business to optimise efficiency across our processing plants, which ultimately adds to our ability to pay a higher milk price. Our core objective is to ensure that we carry on building a strong and viable business for the future, which we can continue to be proud of, and this new development is most welcome.”

Pictured at the annoucement is Dale Farm Group Operations Director, Chris McAlinden, alongside Group Chief Executive of Dale Farm Nick Whelan and Chief Executive of CES Energy, Tom Marren.