The ESB and Rosslare’s port authority, Iarnród Éireann, have signed a joint agreement to co-operate on offshore wind development in the Celtic and Irish Seas.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) draws on ESB’s plans to develop a “portfolio” of offshore wind farms, while Rosslare Europort aims to establish the port as Ireland’s offshore renewables hub.
The MOU “establishes a common goal of maximising the opportunities of each parties’ respective development plans”, they state.
The MOU is “non-exclusive”, and sets out the two organisations’ intention to “work together with the aim of developing a port solution capable of supporting ESB’s offshore developments in Ireland, in line with the country’s climate action targets and ESB’s Net Zero by 2040 strategy”, they say.
Last year, Rosslare Europort management announced plans to establish the port, its hinterland and the southeast region as an Irish offshore renewable energy (ORE) Hub, with the potential to create up to 2,000 jobs.
The partners state that the port is uniquely located within 60-100 nautical miles of most of the planned developments in the Irish and Celtic seas, including many of the projects developed by ESB within Ireland.
Rosslare Europort plans significant works, including:
- ORE purpose-built quay and berth
- ORE quayside storage and pre-construction / up to 50 acres in area
- Navigable channel dredged down to a minimum of 9-11 metres depth
- Management Control Centre & management offices and facilities for Operations and Maintenance
Minister of State at the Department of Transport Jack Chambers said: “Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) is integral to meeting Ireland’s climate change ambitions with a target of achieving 7GW of offshore energy by 2030, 2GW of which is dedicated to the production of green hydrogen”.
"As set out in a policy statement published in December 2021, a multiport approach to the provision of port infrastructure will facilitate the development of ORE in Ireland, which will help maximise the economic benefits at regional as well as national level in terms of the creation of jobs and new SME enterprise that can support the development of the ORE industry,” he said.
"This agreement between Rosslare Europort and ESB is a welcome demonstration of the collaboration and commitment by these two commercial entities in delivering on our ORE ambition,” he said.