Progress made on Cork Harbour offshore wind site
An artist's impression of how the Doyle Shipping Group's dockyard in Cork Harbour could be used as a major hub for the delivery and assembly of offshore wind turbines. Picture: DSG
Plans to redevelop the Cork Dockyard facility at Rushbrooke in Cork Harbour to service the planned offshore wind projects have taken a step forward.
The Doyle Shipping Group is planning to redevelop it as a port infrastructure hub for use by developers of offshore renewable energy (ORE) projects, labelling the project, the Cork Dockyard Rejuvenation Project (CDR)
In recent days, DSG issued tender documents seeking a public relations firm to deliver a strategy for the public consultation process. Given its scale, the project falls into the category of Strategic Infrastructure Development (SID) and the application for planning permission lies with An Bord Pleanála.
The Cork Dockyard site is approximately 15 hectares in extent and comprises a graving dock (which is still actively used for ship repair) and the now redundant shipyard. The site was established in 1853 and for decades was considered one of the most significant elements of the harbour's infrastructure.
At its peak more than 1,100 people were employed on the site in shipbuilding works Major vessels including the Irish Naval Service's LE Eithne were built and launched from the site.
It ceased shipbuilding activities in the 1980s and was acquired by the Doyle Shipping Group in 1995.
In recent years, DSG has accommodated the assembly of large gantry cranes on the site manufactured by Liebherr in Killarney that were subsequently loaded onto heavy lift vessels and transported to ports around the world.
The CDR Project will maintain the ship repair infrastructure in the graving dock but will redevelop the 12-hectare ship-building facility to provide new berths and a large open area suitable for the temporary storage of wind turbine components prior to their installation offshore.
The Doyle Shipping Group is to carry out a significant consultation period with stakeholders and the general public before it formally lodges a planning application for the project.
A number of projects are underway at various Irish ports to prepare the required infrastructure and services needed for the planned offshore wind farms.
Following the first Offshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (ORESS) auction by the Government last year, planning applications are currently being finalised for four projects with a total installed capacity of 3.1 GW. Developers of these projects are expected to lodge planning applications with An Bord Pleanála this year.
Ireland has a target of 37 GW of offshore wind by 2050 so there is an urgency to complete major infrastructure projects like this as Ireland aims to utilise offshore wind power to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels.
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