Shannon Foynes Port Company has signed a memorandum of understanding with the large renewables company Norwegian Offshore Wind, with a view to scaling up offshore wind generation infrastructure in northern Europe.
The partnership is further endorsement of plans to transform the Shannon estuary into an international floating offshore wind hub, according to Shannon Foynes, which would also enable Ireland surpass its long-term climate targets.
The agreement will facilitate collaboration between Shannon Foynes and offshore wind interests in Norway by putting in place “a framework for collaboration on market activities towards the Irish and Norwegian offshore wind market”. It will also be a platform for research, development and innovation activities for Irish and Norwegian companies.
Norway is a world leader in offshore wind; its Government last month launched an investment plan aimed at allocating sea areas to develop 30 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2040 — Ireland plans 5GW on mainly fixed offshore turbines by 2030, but to scale up floating offshore wind along the western seaboard thereafter.
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“The ports in Norway and Ireland are a vital component in the supply chain in offshore wind, and thus imperative for the countries in northern Europe to reach their renewable ambitions,” said Arvid Nesse, general manager of Norwegian Offshore Wind.
“This agreement will strengthen the co-operation between the ports along the Norwegian coast and one of the hubs for floating wind in Ireland,” he added.
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This would be “mutually beneficial for Norway, Ireland and the entire industry in northern Europe, and provide Norwegian companies with opportunities in the fast-emerging Irish offshore wind market”, he said.
Shannon Foynes chief executive Pat Keating said: “Norway is a world leader in the development of floating wind and it’s this very technology that will enable Ireland to not alone meet its longer-term climate change targets but become an international energy hub for the first time in our history.”
The Shannon estuary would be “a key enabler” because of its proximity to offshore winds and its deep waters, which were essential for supply chains, he added.
The ESB plans to builds its own hub at its Moneypoint facility in the estuary including a fabrication facility for construction and assembly of floating offshore turbines and a green hydrogen plant.
“Ireland’s potential from floating offshore wind generation off the west coast alone stands at 70GW, which is 12 times our current installed wind capacity on land,” Mr Keating said. “So what we now need to do is to realise that opportunity.”
He added that the partnership was an indication of how big an opportunity that was. Norwegian Offshore Wind is a cluster organisation seeking to deliver a strong global supply chain in offshore wind. It has more than 350 member companies, including several Norwegian ports, with “an objective of positioning themselves in several offshore wind markets in the North Sea and beyond”.
Shannon Foynes is Ireland’s second largest port operator, covering a 500sq km area stretching from Kerry to Loop Head to Limerick city. It recently appointed Bechtel, experts in strategic planning and port development, to update its Vision 2041 plan to maximise opportunities emerging from offshore renewables.
