THE FIRM BEHIND Ireland’s only constructed offshore wind farm is to lodge plans in the coming days with An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP) to dismantle and decommission the entire project.

In the planning application direct to ACP, Arklow Energy Ltd is seeking to dismantle and remove seven wind turbine generators and all ancillary works of Arklow Bank Wind Farm Phase 1 in the Irish Sea.

The applicants are seeking planning permission up to June 2033 to align with the duration of a Foreshore Sub Lease.

The decommissioning of the wind-farm off the Co Wicklow coast also includes the unburial, cutting and removing of all inter-array cables which are 7.4km in length and the unburial, cutting and removing of offshore export cables measuring 15.6km in length.

The wind farm commenced generating electricity in 2005, and it remains Ireland’s only offshore wind farm to provide electricity to the grid.

Currently, ACP is evaluating a number of large-scale offshore wind-farm projects.

The Arklow Bank wind farm ceased operating in 2024 due to safety concerns and the most recent accounts for Arklow Energy Ltd for 2024 show that the energy provider ceased energy production “due to the final three turbines incurring major faults in Q2 2024”.

The directors stated that in May 2024, the last three turbines “were deactivated for safety reasons after reaching the end of their cycle”.

They also said that the company impaired the turbines and right of use assets by €2.6 million in its 2024 accounts.

In September 2024, the company settled its insurance claim in respect of the fire which damaged Turbine 5 in 2021 and the amount settled and paid was €5.39 million.

In June 2024, the firm paid out a dividend of €4.5 million to its then immediate parent, GE Arklow Energy CV.

In addition, the directors stated that the firm undertook a Blade Maintenance Campaign in 2025 to fulfil its foreshore lease obligations and the company made a provision of €13.7 million for the works in its 2024 accounts.

In 2024, revenues at the wind-farm company plummeted by 76pc from €3.66 million to €889,003 due to the switching off of the remaining three turbines.

The €13.7 million provision along with the €2.6 million impairment costs offset by the insurance claim payout of €5.39 million resulted in the company recording a loss of €14.2 million for 2024.

The directors noted that now the main activity of the business is the decommissioning of the wind-farm, which is dependent upon approval from the Irish energy regulator.

“We cannot currently confirm a definitive timescale for which this decommissioning will be complete,” they said. 

A directors’ report signed off on 22 December 2025, read “the current forecast is to commence the decommissioning in Summer 2027”.

The firm’s owner is US-headquartered GE Vernova after GE Company spun off its renewable, digital and power businesses to GE Vernova in April 2024.