24 October 2026
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
A delegation from the French Embassy and the Irish Embassy in France has visited a solar energy project currently under construction in County Cork that is expected to generate enough electricity to power 3,000 homes when complete.
Céline Place, French Ambassador to Ireland; Alison Milton, Irish Ambassador to France and representatives from both embassies were among the visitors to Amarenco’s Carrigaline project. The 16 MW project is located 1.5km east of Carrigaline town and is set to be operational by the end of this year.
As part of the development, Amarenco has extensive ecological plans to increase the biodiversity of the site and has worked with local ecologists to establish exactly what the land needs to regenerate and restore the soil’s capacity to absorb carbon emissions, promote biodiversity and retain water.
Pictured back row (L-R) Xavier Messing, Chief Development Officer Amarenco; Declan Cullinane, Managing Director, Amarenco Ireland; and Samuel Jerome, Chief Operating Officer, Amarenco. Front Row (L-R) Mrs Céline Place, French Ambassador to Ireland and Mrs Alison Milton, Irish Ambassador to France at a site visit to Amarenco’s Carrigaline project which will generate enough electricity to power 3,000 homes.
Picture: Alison Miles / OSM PHOTO
A Community Benefit Fund will also be established once the project is operational which will help to support community and sports projects and initiatives in the locality.
Amarenco was founded in 2013 to speed up the shift to clean energy. It invests in long-term energy infrastructure and works to deliver projects that support communities as well as the environment. Its global headquarters is located in Cork and the company has a major operational footprint in France.
Declan Cullinane, Managing Director of Amarenco said, “We are pleased to welcome the French and Irish diplomatic representatives to our Carrigaline solar project and show them the progress being made as it nears completion. This visit is an opportunity to see the work behind delivering renewable energy projects and the contribution that Franco-Irish cooperation can make to Ireland’s energy transition. Amarenco has a significant presence in France, so this relationship is particularly relevant to our business. As we work towards bringing the project into operation by the end of the year, our focus remains on delivering clean energy while building strong relationships with the communities around our projects.”
Céline Place, French Ambassador to Ireland said, “The clean energy transition is one of the most dynamic areas in Franco-Irish cooperation. As the merger of a French and an Irish company, Amarenco is the perfect example of the deep ties between our business ecosystem, and how people to people connections can deliver great projects. Projects like Carrigaline demonstrate how our shared commitment to sustainability can deliver concrete results for both Ireland and France. Kudos to Amarenco for all their progress in finding renewable energy solutions.”