Solar farm proposal part of a £100m five-year investment plan for Belfast International Airport
A planning application has been submitted to Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council for a proposed new solar farm adjacent to Belfast International Airport.
The proposal is for the installation and operation of a solar farm (up to 24MW) and associated infrastructure, access and landscaping to be located one kilometre west of the main airport terminal building between Seacash Road and British Road, Crumlin.
The application has been made by an agent on behalf of renewable energy company SunMind.
In October 2023, VINCI Airports, which owns and operates Belfast International Airport, announced plans for the proposed solar farm to be “developed, financed, built, and operated” by VINCI Concessions’s subsidiary SunMind on the airport site.
VINCI Airports anticipates that the proposed development will save 12,500 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. The initiative forms part of VINCI Airports’s global environmental action plan, which aims to reach 50% emission reductions by 2030 and net zero by 2050.
Belfast International Airport has been a member of VINCI Airports network since 2018. The proposed development is part of a £100m five-year investment plan that is aimed at increasing the airport’s “operational efficiency, improve passenger experience and environmental performance”.
In August of last year, VINCI Airports launched one of the UK’s first airside solar farms at Edinburgh Airport. The 11-acre facility, located next to the airport’s runway, provides around 27 per cent of the airport’s energy needs, the company says.
At Funchal Airport, Madeira, a 1,4 MW photovoltaic plant was installed on carports which is expected to generate approximately 1.87 GWh annually, covering 26% of the airport’s electricity needs. The project includes 2,411 solar panels covering 400 parking spaces.
At Porto Santo Airport, Portugal, a ground-mounted installation is expected to produce around 297 MWh annually, representing 24% of the airport’s electricity consumption and an estimated reduction of approximately 148 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year.
Belfast International Airport has been asked for a comment.
Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter