Consultation opens on offshore wind farm planned for the former Kinsale gas fields 

Between 60 and 87 wind turbines planned for a site more than 35km off the south coast

Construction and deployment could begin in late 2027 if required permissions and licences are approved.

Offshore wind farm developer Simply Blue launches the public consultation on the latest phase of the Emerald Offshore Wind Project,  a proposed floating offshore wind project situated more than 35km off the Old Head of Kinsale in Co. Cork.

Between 60 and 87 wind turbines will be constructed under the Project Emerald proposal that could deliver 1.3 GWh of electricity, enough to power one million homes.

Simply Blue said it is their intention to have the first phase of the project delivered by 2030 to help meet targets set out in the Climate Action Plan that 80% of electricity generation comes from renewable sources. However, the company said its timelines are largely dependent on when Government agencies and departments can issue relevant licenses and permissions.

If approved the wind farm will be located in the Celtic Sea in an area between 33.5km and 60km south of the Old Head near the recently decommissioned Kinsale gas platforms. The turbines will be installed in depths of water between 80m and 100m.

Simply Blue is expecting it will complete environmental impact surveys by late 2024 and be in a position to seek development consent a year later. If consent to proceed is received in late 2026, the company said it could begin construction and deployment in late 2027.

The project suffered a setback last year when oil giant Shell announced its departure from Emerald Offshore having previously taken a 51% stake in the project along with a similar stake in Simply Blue's Western Star project planned off the west coast.

The move away from the Western Star and Emerald offshore wind projects was described as “a portfolio decision for Shell" at the time.

However, Simply Blue is moving ahead with the project and is currently seeking public views on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) scoping report which describes the key elements of the project and how the environment could be impacted. The public consultation remains open until March 16.

Emerald Offshore's Managing Director Val Cummins said they would engage with stakeholders and communities at each stage of the project and encouraged the public to participate in the consultation of the scoping report. 

"We believe this is a very exciting project which delivers on Simply Blue Group’s commitment to creating new economic opportunities for coastal communities.”