US company GE Wind Energy and Irish firm Airtricity said yesterday that construction of the first offshore wind park in the Republic would be completed by October.

The wind park, which is being built on the Arklow Bank off the coast of Co Wicklow, will initially host seven wind turbines, each capable of generating 3.6 megawatts of electricity.

This is the first time that 3.6 megawatt wind turbines have been located in an offshore location and the park will be used as a demonstration project by GE Wind Energy.

Airtricity, the Republic's largest renewable energy firm which is headed up by Mr Eddie O'Connor, holds an option to purchase the project after the demonstration is complete, approximately two years after first operation.

This first phase of the project is expected to produce enough wind energy to serve the annual needs of about 16,000 average Irish households

This 25-megawatt Arklow Bank project was first introduced by Airtricity as phase one of a much larger offshore project that Airtricity proposes to build over the coming years.

Airtricity's offshore wind project proposals have been made possible under a foreshore lease, which can provide for more than 520 megawatts of offshore power on the Arklow Bank.

Components for the wind turbines are arriving at the Rosslare Port where co-ordination of the offshore installation is taking place.