Bord Gáis Energy will invest €400 million in wind energy over the next three years, Minister for Energy Pat Rabbitte said yesterday as he attended the official opening of its wind farm at Ballymartin in Mullinavat, Co Kilkenny.

Ballymartin has energy export capacity of 6 MW. Construction on an extension will begin in the final quarter of 2012 and will eventually take total power generation to 14 MW. A second farm, the Garracummer Wind Farm in Co Tipperary, will bring an additional 42 MW of wind energy online from late 2012.

The Irish Wind Energy Association has estimated that the Republic’s industry will need funding of €600 million a year between now and 2020 if it is to deliver on agreed green energy targets.