Multi-billion offshore investments could boost Waterford's economy and jobs market
“The advent of offshore wind energy in Ireland provides a potentially transformative opportunity which must be harnessed for Waterford and the entire south-east region”, the President of Waterford Chamber of Commerce, Niall Harrington told delegates at a special conference held by the Chamber in the Houses of the Oireachtas in Dublin.
"Waterford’s proximity to Ireland’s designated maritime areas for wind energy production allows us to serve as a central point for the necessary infrastructure and services these developments will bring," he said.
“Enablement of key infrastructure projects such as at the Port of Waterford is essential to help the region support the development, installation, operations and maintenance of wind farms into the future and secure the economic benefits for the region.
“Multi-billion euro investments will be made in the decades ahead and we must ensure that this provides a substantial boost to our local economy, creating employment, prosperity and long-term benefit for our communities.
“We urge the government to provide a roadmap for a comprehensive Designated Maritime Area Plan for Ireland to demonstrate the long-term opportunities for investors. Additionally, the Government must ensure that the priorities for offshore wind development are aligned across all relevant government departments.”
Mr. Harrington thanked Senator John Cummins who hosted the group in Leinster House.
The gathering was sponsored by Energia Group and Vårgrønn who are partnering in the co-development of offshore wind projects in Ireland and are sponsors of Waterford Chamber.
Peter Baillie, Managing Director of Energia Renewables said in his introduction, “Waterford Chamber’s meeting in Leinster House marks an important and timely discussion on the economic opportunities in offshore wind for Waterford and the south-east region.
"Critical to establishing momentum behind Ireland’s emerging offshore sector will be the finalisation of the south coast Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP) and requirements for the next auction to be held under the Offshore Renewable Energy Support Scheme (the ORESS 2.1 auction). Any delays in these essential processes could see Ireland’s interests fall behind, particularly as other countries advance their own substantial ambitions.
“In terms of policy, a single project isn’t sufficient. We urgently need a prioritised pipeline of projects so that developers and the supply chain see the opportunity to bring the lowest cost and most efficient delivery for Ireland. In tandem with this, we want to see investment now in Irish based port infrastructure, such as the Port of Waterford and support capabilities which will be for the greater good of the renewable energy sector and economy of Ireland. If this investment doesn’t happen quickly, offshore windfarms will be built but they will be serviced from the UK or France. There is a great opportunity to promote a balanced regional investment to ensure prosperity, wellbeing and success for local communities including Waterford and the South-East.”
On the panel discussion were Dr. Frances Hardiman, Head of the Faculty of Engineering at SETU; David Sinnott, CEO of Waterford Port Company; Stephen Bull, CEO of Norwegian based offshore wind company Vårgrønn, and Kieran Walsh, Senior Vice-President of Vestas wind energy.
During the discussion, Stephen Bull, new CEO of Vårgrønn said “With Ireland being a nascent market in the European context, the country can look at best practice from international offshore wind projects and markets to optimise how its own market is being developed. Norway is at a similar stage of development to Ireland in offshore wind and lessons can be learned from its experience.
We see from other markets that building supply chain capability and securing investment requires a reliable and predicable long-term project pipeline.”
Looking ahead, Peter Baillie expressed enthusiasm for Energia’s partnership with Vårgrønn. "Energia Group is a leader in the energy transition with a very significant pipeline of solar and onshore wind projects at advanced stages of development, and a pipeline of battery storage and hydrogen energy developments. We are combining our Irish experience with the international and supply chain experience of Vårgrønn to develop 2 Gigawatts of offshore wind projects off the coasts of Ireland by 2030."
