Report finds offshore wind in the west could 'dwarf' Ireland's east coast

Shannon Estuary and West/South coast potential for floating offshore wind

'The total potential capacity on the West coast dwarfs the East coast opportunity.' File Picture: iStock

Ireland could become a net exporter of renewable energy if it fully developed its offshore wind potential a new study has found.

Commissioned by Shannon Foynes Port Company, the report estimates that the available wind resource can generate up to 70GW of floating offshore wind energy with excess power being exported and the potential for green hydrogen produced from the offshore wind farm sites.

The Offshore Wind Potential Study was carried out by geotechnical engineering consultancy Gavin & Doherty Geosolutions. It identifies the potential to create up to 20,000 jobs in manufacturing and a further 10,000 industry jobs by 2050 through staging, installation, operations and maintenance of wind farms.

“Offshore Floating Wind is rapidly expanding and therefore now is the time to capture the potential from this early-stage sector," the report states. "Given the timelines to develop the required infrastructure, now is the time to commit the investment and ensure Ireland Inc. capitalises on the global opportunity as first movers in this exciting space."

The study was carried out this year and states that the Shannon Estuary is best placed to service the future offshore floating wind market. The first Offshore Wind Farm sites in Ireland were all situated on the east coast, as they have fixed foundations. However, as the offshore floating wind technology becomes more efficient and the associated supply chain develops, the west coast of Ireland will become much more favourable. “The total potential capacity on the West coast dwarfs the East coast opportunity,” the report states.

However, while floating wind presents an opportunity for Ireland, investment is needed in infrastructure. A large constraint will be the ability to connect the energy produced to the grid and export the excess to other markets. 

Other challenges include a lack of an overarching Government policy identifying the export opportunity, weaknesses in the planning and consenting process, the construction of new port infrastructure and competition from other countries such as Scotland, Norway, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, France and Portugal.

The report proposes Foynes Port as a Supply Chain Enterprise Park identifies a total of 1,200 hectares on the Shannon Estuary for device and component manufacture and assembly. 

Pat Keating, CEO of Shannon Foynes Port said the report quantifies for the first time the unique floating offshore wind opportunity that exists for Ireland. "The mix of our world-class wind resources, the natural infrastructure here for a global manufacturing and industry base and climate change adds up to what is an unprecedented opportunity that we must capitalise on," he said.