The Port of Galway’s upgrade to the “TEN-T” network has been welcomed by Minister of State for Transport and Galway West TD Hildegarde Naughton.
Galway’s addition to the TEN-T network relates to Europe’s plans for offshore renewable energy as a crucial part of future energy mix.
The agreement was confirmed at a recent Transport ministerial council in Brussels.
The Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) policy addresses the implementation and development of a Europe-wide network of railway lines, roads, inland waterways, maritime shipping routes, ports, airports and railroad terminals.
The ultimate objective is to close gaps, remove bottlenecks and technical barriers, as well as to strengthen social, economic and territorial cohesion in the EU.
“For Ireland, the new regulation will mean that upgrading intercity and regional rail lines on the TEN-T network, developing our main ports, linking key infrastructure such as Dublin Airport to rail, developing multi-modal freight terminals, and better integrating local and national transport infrastructure in the designated urban nodes on the network of Dublin, Cork and now Galway, will all be eligible to apply for funding under the EU’s Connecting Europe facility,” Ms Naughton said.
“I am particularly pleased that the Port of Galway has been added to the TEN-T network, given the important role it can play in developing renewable energy projects and its ambitious plans in this regard,” she said.
The European Commission’s proposal to revise the Regulation was published in December 2021 and aimed to align the development of the TEN-T network with EU climate goals.
A key addition to the draft regulation is the recognition of the synergies between transport and energy.
Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said that this will support the development of Ireland’s main ports, making them critical hubs for off-shore wind particularly and ensuring that they are connected on to key infrastructure and population centres.
“The important role that ports have to play in supporting the roll-out of offshore renewable energy is now recognised in the regulation,” he said. “This means that major Irish ports can become key energy hubs, not just for the operation and maintenance of off-shore wind farms, but as locations where the energy from those farms will come onshore,”he said.
“The regulation also sets out how our ports can be connected through enhanced rail particularly for passengers, freight and energy transportation to other key infrastructure and population centres. We are starting this already, with work beginning on the Shannon-Foynes Rail line for example. But, now with T-Trans, we can push ahead to ensure that all of our major ports are resourced for a new era of smart multi-modal interconnectivity,”Ryan said.
The proposal to revise the TEN-T regulation will align it to the European Green Deal objectives and the climate targets of the EU Climate Law.
Rail lines from Limerick to Ballybrophy and Limerick Junction to Waterford are also included in the revised regulation, and the city of Galway is designated an “urban node”.
Projects on the TEN-T network are eligible to apply for part-funding under the EU’s Connecting Europe facility.
