Irish firm CES Energy announced that its first solar energy venture in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland dairy processor Dale Farm will fuel much of its energy requirements from solar power as part of a new deal wtih CES Energy.

Irish firm CES Energy announced that its first solar energy venture in Northern Ireland will be a solar farm in Co Tyrone, which will see dairy producer Dale Farm switch to solar power for much of the energy requirements at its cheese processing facility in Dunmanbridge.

Construction is due to start mid 2017 on the 37 acre site which will be made up of more than 18,000 solar modules, making it the largest of its kind on the island of Ireland and thought to be one of the largest in the dairy sector worldwide.

The 5MW solar farm will be connected directly to the private network of the business and it is estimated Dale Farm will switch to solar power for as much as a 20% of the company's on-site power needs at its cheese processing facility.

Tom Marren, Chief Executive at CES Energy, said the new solar farm "is an important milestone for CES Energy" which demonstrates the opportunities that solar energy presents for the island of Ireland.

According to Marren, the new scheme will guarantee over 20 years of low cost, green power at Dale Farm's cheese processing site and enable significant savings for Dale Farm.

Dale Farm Chief Executive Nick Whelan said the venture would allow Dale Farm lower its carbon footprint and reduce its operating costs.