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Northern Ireland wind portfolio reaches financial close

Renewable energy group, Gaelectric has reached financial close on a portfolio of five onshore windfarms in Northern Ireland.

The windfarms will provide a total installed capacity of 51.5MW and are all expected to be completed by the end of 2016. One of the projects in Monnaboy is already operational.

The portfolio represents a total capital investment of £74 million and the majority of the £64 million senior debt has been advanced on an 18-year term loan basis and confirmed through the London office of German Bank Nord/LB.

Gaelectric chief operating officer Barry Gavin said: “We are delighted to have worked once again with Nord/LB in securing competitive project finance for the rollout of our onshore portfolio of wind assets in Ireland.

“These projects also represent a significant milestone towards our near term goal of achieving circa 400MW of generating wind assets on the island of Ireland by 2017.”

The projects will go ahead despite an announcement earlier this year that subsidy for large onshore wind projects in Northern Ireland would end on 1 April 2016 as the Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation (NIRO) closes.