Only Cork and Kerry wind farms deliver more power than Offaly

OFFALY was in third place in the Irish wind generation chart for July, according to new figures.

Wind Energy Ireland (WEI) said wind farms in Offaly generated 54 gigawatt-hours (Gwh) of electricity during July, behind Kerry (84 GWh) and the top county, Cork (85 Gwh).

Together, the top three counties provided more than a quarter of Ireland's wind power last month.

In fourth and fifth place were Galway (53 GWh) and Mayo (51 Gwh).

Offaly made the top four counties for the first time in December 2024 with the opening of a number of new wind farms in the county.

Based on data published by Green Collective, Kerry wind farms led the way in March this year, producing more wind energy than any other county (135 Gwh).

Kerry was followed by Cork (125 GWh), then Galway (89 GWh), Mayo (87 GWh) and Offaly (81 GWh).

Wind generation in Ireland this July was the third highest on record for that month, according to Wind Energy Ireland (WEI).

Because of changing wind conditions, the amount of generation can vary from month to month and year to year.

The figures for July 2024 were Cork (80 Gwh), Kerry (66 GWh), Galway (55 GWh), Mayo (54 GWh) and Tipperary (46 GWh).

WEI said wind farms provided 24 per cent of the country’s electricity in July 2025 but wholesale electricity prices rose slightly after several months of sustained falls.

The latest figures show that wind power generation in July 2025 totalled 786 gigawatt-hours, 24% of all of Ireland's electricity for the month.

Justin Moran, director of external affairs at WEI, said ongoing delays in grid connections and infrastructure limitations continue to hinder further progress, leading to lost renewable output.

“Electricity generated by Irish wind farms replaces imported fossil fuels and pushes down wholesale electricity prices,” said Mr Moran.

“The more wind we can get on the system, the less we have to rely on expensive imported gas, and the more we can do to help bring down the cost of energy bills.”

The share of electricity demand met by Irish wind farms in July, at 24 per cent, was up slightly when compared to July 2024.

Mr Moran added: “Wind energy generated around a quarter of Ireland’s electricity last month but we need to build more wind farms and strengthen our electricity grid to provide more clean energy.

“Every year we are losing more and more of Ireland’s most affordable renewable electricity because our existing grid is not strong enough to take the power our wind farms produce.

“The additional €3.5 billion for grid development announced in the revised National Development Plan will help transform our electricity system and speed up the delivery of clean and affordable power to Irish homes and businesses.”

The average wholesale price of electricity in Ireland per megawatt-hour during July 2025 was €99.61, down 10% from €110.94 during the same month last year.

READ NEXT: Go-ahead for major Bord na Mona west Offaly cycling and walking trail

Prices on days with the most wind power saw the average cost of a megawatt-hour of electricity fall to €84.80 per megawatt hour and rise to €111.55 on days when the country relied almost entirely on fossil fuels

Mr Moran concluded: “Having an affordable, accessible and reliable source of clean energy is vital for consumers to have confidence in our transition to a zero-carbon society.

“Research published in 2025 shows that since 2000, renewable electricity has – conservatively – saved consumers nearly €1 billion and that figure will keep rising.”

The report also confirms that wind energy has generated 31 per cent of Ireland’s electricity in the first seven months of this year.

The results of the July report are based on EirGrid’s SCADA data compiled by MullanGrid, market data provided by ElectroRoute and county-level wind generation data provided by Green Collective.

Some of the wind farms in Offaly are Cloghan (nine turbines), Cloncreen (21), Derrinlough (21), Leabeg (two), Meenwaun (four), Moanvane (12), Mountlucas (28) and Yellow River (29).