07-08-2025
Tirlán starts work on solar farm to power largest production facility
Food company Tirlán, formerly Glanbia Co-Op, has started work on a major renewable energy project at its multi-purpose integrated dairy processing facility in Ballyragget, Co Kilkenny which will reduce the site's carbon footprint and its reliance on grid electricity.
The 6.5 hectare, 8 MWp ground-mounted solar farm is being delivered in partnership with ESB's Smart Energy Services.
It is expected to be completed in early 2026.
Tirlán said the new solar farm will be a "behind-the-meter" self-generation project, meaning all energy produced will be consumed directly at the Ballyragget facility.
Once operational, it will supply approximately 7.6 GWh of clean renewable energy a year, meeting 34% of the site's imported electricity needs. That is the equivalent of powering over 1,700 households with electricity for a year, the company said.
The solar array will consist of 12,816 photovoltaic panels and 32 inverters and is expected to reduce the carbon footprint by 2,100 tonnes of CO₂ annually.
This is roughly equivalent to removing 450 diesel cars from Irish roads or planting 94,000 evergreen trees. Over its 25-year lifespan, the project will avoid about 50,000 tonnes of CO₂.
The Ballyragget processing facility is one of the largest multi-purpose integrated dairy plants in Europe. The site employs over 360 people, processing up to 1.2 billion litres of milk, 1.3 billion litres of whey and up to 200 million litres of cream annually.
Over €180m has been invested during the last decade in developing and enhancing the site, which has been operational for more than 50 years.
Tirlán's Chairperson John Murphy said the investment is a key milestone in the company's journey to further decarbonise its operations and strengthen energy resilience at its largest processing site.
"It builds on the success of solar installations at our Kilkenny Soup Plant and Tirlán CountryLife Castlecomer retail branch and reflects our commitment to a more sustainable energy mix," Mr Murphy said.
"In addition, there has been a strong uptake of 'turn-key' solar packages on-farm to help suppliers reduce both their carbon emissions and cost through our FarmGen programme," he added.
Ciaran Gallagher, Head of Smart Energy Services at ESB, said that by enabling projects like this solar farm in Ballyragget to generate clean electricity, the company is helping to reduce emissions and enhance energy resilience at scale.
"This project is a shining example of how Irish industry can lead the way in renewable energy innovation. We're committed to supporting Tirlán in delivering a future-focused solution that not only cuts carbon emissions but also strengthens operational sustainability," he added.
