Offshore engineering and design consultancy Gavin & Doherty Geosolutions Ltd (GDG) has been commissioned by Wind Energy Ireland to undertake a study of Ireland’s national ports.
The assessment will review the current position, as well as identify the strategic port development opportunities for the future where relevant.
GDG’s study will focus on enabling both bottom-fixed and floating offshore wind projects to be facilitated from Irish ports.
The output of the study will be a report that documents the industry requirements for the construction of offshore renewable energy projects and assesses these needs against existing, and likely, available port infrastructure at a range of Irish ports.
To ensure a robust long-term offshore wind sector, it is imperative that a local supply chain is developed to service the industry, GDG said.
Funded by Belfast Harbour, DP Energy, ESB, Inish Offshore Wind, RWE Renewables, and Ørsted, the project commenced in March and is expected to be concluded in May this year.
Ireland has a sea area of 490,000 square kilometres, approximately seven times the size of its landmass.
The country has a long-term potential of 70 GW of ocean energy opportunity including wind, wave, and tidal within 100 kilometres of the Irish coastline.
The Climate Action Plan, announced in 2019, includes a suite of actions to realise Ireland’s offshore renewable energy potential, while the Programme for Government commits to the achievement of 5 GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030 , and a long-term plan to take advantage of the potential of at least 30 GW of floating wind thereafter.
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