Ports must race against the clock to build infrastructure that can support offshore wind farms
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Ireland’s renewable energy sector got a significant boost last week, but now the clock is ticking for the country’s port infrastructure to catch up so that new offshore projects can be developed.
Last week, Eirgrid published the results of its first auction for the generation of electricity from offshore wind. Meanwhile, the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority, which grants areas of consent for offshore projects, is set to officially announce its new CEO.
Laura Brien, the current chief executive of the Health Insurance Authority (HIA), is expected to take up the role, according to the
However, developers eyeing up the Republic as a potential location for their wind farms are still waiting for a port with suitable infrastructure.
As for the four wind farms that were successful in the State’s Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (ORESS) auction, nothing is set in stone.
“The developers that were successful last week are now gone into planning,” said Rosslare Europort director Glenn Carr at an Oireachtas Committee meeting.
The only port on the island that is currently fully equipped to be a construction base for wind farms is in Belfast, a recent report by industry representative group Wind Energy Ireland showed.
Mr Carr assured the committee that Rosslare Europort will have progressed in its current plans to establish a dedicated offshore renewable hub by the time the successful bidders of the auction start building their wind farms in the coming years.
Construction is set to commence from 2026 and with first projects to begin operating from 2027.
“For the unsuccessful bidders, we want to state that we look forward to working in partnership with them going forward,” said Mr Carr.
Mr Carr added a warning to the Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action that if there is a delay in the availability of Rosslare Port infrastructure, that will mean the earliest offshore renewable energy project will need to turn elsewhere, potentially outside the Irish State to service their project.
“A delay in delivery of Rosslare Port infrastructure will also have a knock on impact on the delivery up to 2030 offshore targets and broader economic implications for Ireland,” he said.
Getting these ports ready for offshore wind developments is also a costly endeavour. The investment needed to build Rosslare Europort’s offshore renewable hub is around €220m.
Pat Keating, CEO of Shannon Foynes Port Company, also said that the estimated cost for new port infrastructure is around €500m.
“However, this investment could mobilise over €100bn in private sector investment in offshore renewables and supply chain activities,” said Mr Keating.
The four planned wind farms that were successful in the auction last week, which guarantees future prices, will be located on the east and west coasts.
The Government welcomed the results and said the competitive price secured — at an average of €86.05/MWh — is one of the lowest prices paid by an emerging offshore wind market in the world and well below the auction cap of €150/MWh.
However, the bids are significantly above those secured by other countries. Offshore wind auction results from last year by the UK's grid operator saw one Scottish partnership bidding as low as £37.35 (€34.22) per MWh.
Codling Wind Park, a joint venture between Fred Olsen Seawind and EDF Renewables, emerged as one of the winners of the milestone auction by Eirgrid.
Cork-based Statkraft and its offshore partners Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), Green Investment's Fuinneamh Sceirde Teoranta project and Saorgus Energy controlled Kish Offshore Wind, and Bray Offshore Wind developments also secured contracts through the auction.