{"id":164581,"date":"2025-11-28T17:02:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T17:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/164581\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T17:02:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T17:02:08","slug":"shannon-airport-unveils-irelands-first-airfield-solar-pv-farm-in-major-e6-6m-investment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/164581\/","title":{"rendered":"Shannon Airport unveils Ireland\u2019s first airfield solar PV farm in major \u20ac6.6m investment"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE Shannon Airport Group has today celebrated a major milestone in its sustainability<\/a> and infrastructure journey with the official opening of Ireland\u2019s first airfield-located solar PV farm, together with a significant extension to its European Boarding Gates designed to enhance access and experience for Shannon Airport users.<\/p>\n

Officiated by Minister for Climate, Environment & Energy, and Minister for Transport, Darragh O\u2019Brien TD, the dual unveiling represents a combined investment of \u20ac6.6 million by The Shannon Airport Group.<\/p>\n

A \u20ac3.6 million, 1.2-megawatt solar PV farm – comprising over 2,700 bifacial solar panels – has been strategically installed on a 5.5-acre site within the airport\u2019s airfield. It’s expected to supply up to 20% of Shannon Airport\u2019s annual electricity needs, significantly reducing reliance on the national grid and fossil fuels by generating renewable energy on-site. The electricity generated from the solar PV farm each year would be enough to drive one of the airport\u2019s electric vehicles around the world 233 times.<\/p>\n

Early trials indicate the installation is outperforming expectations, generating impressive levels of renewable energy including 100% of the terminal building\u2019s full electricity requirement at certain times on peak days.\u00a0<\/p>\n

READ MORE:\u00a0The salmon of knowledge and the former Limerick lecturer who caught it<\/a><\/p>\n

Supported by a government grant of \u20ac1.5 million, the solar PV initiative aligns with national efforts to accelerate Ireland\u2019s energy transition.\u00a0The grant forms part of almost\u00a0\u20ac2 million in grant aid\u00a0for Shannon Airport under the\u00a0government\u2019s Regional State Airports Sustainability funding programme, with the remainder of the grant going towards upgrading the airport\u2019s water system.<\/p>\n

Officiating at the event\u00a0Minister Darragh O\u2019Brien TD\u00a0praised the initiative, saying:\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Shannon Airport solar PV farm is a shining example of how targeted investment and innovation can deliver real progress on our climate goals. This demonstrates the kind of leadership we need to transition to a cleaner, more secure energy future. By generating renewable electricity on-site, Shannon Airport is helping to future-proof its operations while contributing to Ireland\u2019s target of 80% renewable electricity by 2030. I\u2019m proud to see The Shannon Airport Group leading the way in integrating sustainability into aviation infrastructure. These developments show how transport and climate policy can work hand-in-hand to deliver meaningful change.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to the solar farm, Minister O\u2019Brien officially opened a \u20ac3 million, 7,800 sq. ft extension to the airport\u2019s passenger gates. This is comprised of 4,800 sq. ft of new internal space, and 3,000 sq. ft of integrated external covered walkways offering extra protection from the elements to passengers as they move from boarding gate to aircraft. This key development improves accessibility and streamlines passenger flow, reinforcing Shannon Airport\u2019s commitment to enhancing customer experience and responding to rising passenger numbers.<\/p>\n

The expanded gate area, which serves short-haul routes via Boarding Gates 1- 5, has been reconfigured to optimise queuing and circulation space. Located at the eastern end of the existing gates, the extension also improves terminal connectivity to aircraft stands on the east apron, boosting operational efficiency and capacity for short-haul services.<\/p>\n

The PV farm and the work completed on passenger gates 1\u20135 are part of an ongoing investment programme underway across the Group. This will see over \u20ac50 million invested in airport infrastructure and commercial property in 2025 and 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Speaking at the event,\u00a0Ray O’Driscoll, Interim CEO of The Shannon Airport Group, commented:\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cToday marks a significant step forward in our sustainability strategy and infrastructure development. The government support announced by Minister O\u2019Brien in 2024 was much appreciated and will be instrumental in assisting us on our journey to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 51% by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050. It has augmented our efforts to implement innovative solutions that enhance energy efficiency, reduce emissions, and promote sustainable practices throughout our operations. The grant was invaluable in delivering our solar PV farm, a key project under our Sustainability Strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n

This investment reflects The Shannon Airport Group\u2019s long-term commitment to environmental stewardship, and operational excellence.\u00a0The Shannon Airport Group has an ambitious decarbonisation programme. At the heart of this momentum is the Net Zero Plan: a multi-year blueprint to decarbonise airport operations.<\/p>\n

Milestones already achieved include\u00a0energy upgrades such as LED lighting retrofits,\u00a0a major expansion of electric vehicle (EV) charging points and the electrification of over 60% of the airport\u2019s eligible fleet. Recognition has followed, with ISO 50001 accreditation for energy management, and progress toward Airport Carbon Accreditation Level 3.<\/p>\n

The Group\u2019s Biodiversity Action Plan is bringing nature back into the fold, through projects such as pollinator-friendly land management and the installation of nesting boxes for birds, bats and bees. The Group\u2019s conservation grazing project at Thady\u2019s Hill – a ten-acre site situated on airport owned land, containing valuable ecological habitat also won the\u00a0Chambers Ireland\u00a0Environment & Biodiversity Award.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"THE Shannon Airport Group has today celebrated a major milestone in its sustainability and infrastructure journey with the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":164582,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[61,60,43,66400,4504,2521],"class_list":["post-164581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-news","tag-shannon-airport","tag-shannon-airport-group","tag-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=164581"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164581\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/164582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=164581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=164581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=164581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}