Coordinating construction and energization at ILOS’ 217MW Ballyroe Solar Farm, Cork

Ballyroe Solar Farm is a 217MW renewable energy development in County Cork, Ireland. Spanning more than 200 hectares across six locations, the development is connected through a 25.6km interconnector to a central substation. Its delivery involves extensive civil and electrical infrastructure works, alongside the protection of sensitive ecological and archaeological areas and coordination with neighbouring communities.

Following the successful delivery of ILOS’ 222MW solar cluster in Tipperary, Linesight was appointed to provide project management, cost management, health and safety management, planning and scheduling, procurement and document management services. Our team is supporting Ballyroe from contractor procurement through construction, phased energisation and the start of commercial operations.

Coordinating construction across the six locations requires careful alignment of design information, contractor activities and site priorities. Linesight works closely with ILOS’ design managers to coordinate technical information and decisions with the construction sequence, supporting progress on site while the remaining design is completed. Document controls support the timely review and distribution of information across the client, design and construction teams.

Detailed planning and scheduling provide visibility of contractor progress and the activities required for phased energisation. Construction logic reviews, critical path analysis and risk assessments help identify potential delays and coordinate works around the planned energisation sequence. Cost reporting, variation management and contractor procurement support commercial oversight, while weekly health and safety inspections and performance monitoring support site safety management.

Protecting local ecology and archaeology is another important consideration. Working alongside ILOS, Linesight monitors contractor compliance with planning conditions and the measures required to protect streams, hedgerows, habitats and archaeological sites across the development. This includes supporting the early identification and resolution of non-conformances.

In areas of archaeological interest, Linesight led a value engineering exercise to rationalise foundation design details. The agreed approach supported the protection of these sensitive areas while simplifying construction and helping manage logistics, programme and costs.

The project’s scale also creates significant delivery and transport requirements. The scope includes 342,360 photovoltaic panels, 68,696 piles, more than 2.4 million metres of cabling, 895 inverters and 38 transformers. A transport management plan coordinates component deliveries to help minimise disruption to residents and road users.

Linesight provides dedicated stakeholder engagement support to coordinate communication with landowners, the local community and Cork County Council, address concerns and support compliance with planning conditions. Our team also helped establish a project webpage providing updates on construction progress, road closures and potential local impacts, supporting clear communication as the works progress.