Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 January 2026
306. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Transport for a detailed update on the work of the ORE ports facilitation division within his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5735/26]
View answerMy Department established the Offshore Renewable Energy Ports Facilitation Division in 2024 to assist the ports in their plans to build enabling infrastructure to service the Offshore Renewable Energy, (ORE), industry.
As part of this effort, the division established and now chairs an ORE Ports Co-Ordination Group to facilitate consistent engagement with key stakeholders on ports’ progress with their ORE enabling projects. The group meets on a quarterly basis and not only allows for ports to engage directly with the Department of Transport but other key government departments relevant to the delivery of ORE.
The division also leads on Workstream 6 of the Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce (OWDT) and provides regular updates to the cross-governmental forum on the progress of the ports in scaling up to facilitate the ORE industry. The Division is also engaged with the Department of the Taoiseach-led ORE Clearing House and works to address any issues raised regarding the Commercial State ports and their role in ORE.
The European Investment Bank, (EIB), as part of an advisory agreement signed by the last government, is currently providing advisory services to several Irish ports on behalf of the Department of Transport. The EIB is conducting several analyses on ORE port capacity and port financing in Ireland.
The ORE Ports Facilitation Division has been actively engaged with the EIB and their consultants on the delivery of this assignment. The results of the study are expected to contribute to a greater understanding of potential financing options for ports. These reports, along with the bilateral advisory services, will assist the development of business cases for the ports’ ORE infrastructure plans.
Additionally, Division is engaging with various financial stakeholders with a view to maximising all financial opportunities for ports, including the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI), the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and the European Investment Bank (EIB).
My department will continue to encourage and assist applicable ports with applications for funding under the EU's Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) fund. Under the last CEF Funding Call for infrastructure in 2023, the ORE Ports Facilitation division provided critical feedback to ports who wished to make an application for funding. Ultimately, both the Port of Cork and Dublin Port were successful for funding, with the Port of Cork awarded €38.42 million for their ORE-based development. This development at Ringaskiddy is currently under construction and expected to complete this year, well in advance of demand by Phase 1 offshore wind developers
The ORE Ports Facilitation Division has also led the coordination of technical guidance documents for the ORE industry. In June 2025, my Department published the Maritime Navigation Safety Guidance for Offshore Renewable Energy Installations (OREI) and the Guidance for Search & Rescue and Emergency Response for OREI. This provides crucial guidance to ORE developers as they plan their offshore wind developments in Irish waters.
Furthermore, the division has engaged in extensive fact-finding missions to Europe and UK, engaging with government and industry officials, and visiting ports actively engaged in delivery of offshore renewables in Europe and the UK. Irish Commercial state ports have accompanied the division on many of these missions to gather invaluable information on the development of suitable ORE port infrastructure for Ireland.
