Slieve Kirk — United Kingdom

Slieve Kirk is a 73.6 MW wind power plant in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. It is operated by Airtricity. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 63k homes (estimated). It ranks #190 of 2,860 United Kingdom power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2011, it is around 15 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, wind supplies about 29.4% of United Kingdom's electricity; the national grid averages 217 gCO₂/kWh (64.4% low-carbon) (2025).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GBR0004058.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 28 MW for Slieve Kirk wind farm, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Data provenance

Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.

capacity: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 73.6 MW, Slieve Kirk is well above the median wind plant in United Kingdom (10 MW). Technically it is described as Onshore. Wind turbines convert moving air into electricity; output is variable and site-dependent, and modern turbines deliver some of the lowest-cost new generation on many grids.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Key facts

Share of United Kingdom wind capacity

0.3% of 23,763 MW across 779 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

111 of 334 dated wind plants in United Kingdom are older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Capacity vs largest wind plants in United Kingdom

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Airtricity.

Local climate & thermal context

This wind plant converts the kinetic energy of wind into electricity through turbine rotors. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 54.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Monthly mean temperature

Heating degree-days here run 34% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 70/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

This site sits in a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #53 largest wind power plant of 779 in United Kingdom by capacity.

United Kingdom has 779 wind power plants in this dataset, together about 23,763 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Curryfree Wind Farm · Wind · 15 MW · Northern Ireland
• Clondermot Turbines · Wind · 4.6 MW · Northern Ireland
• Eglish Mountain · Wind · 13.8 MW · Northern Ireland
• Townlands of Carrickatane · Wind · 20.7 MW · Northern Ireland
• Tyrone Energy 1 · Biomass · 2.1 MW · Northern Ireland
• Monnaboy Wind Farm · Wind · 12 MW · Northern Ireland

Location

Coordinates 54.9203, -7.2889 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions