Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 February 2026
349. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Transport the current status of port infrastructure development required to support offshore renewable energy, including offshore wind marshalling capacity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9580/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra356. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Transport the current heavy lift capacity, quay length and laydown space available across Irish ports for offshore renewable energy construction; the way in which this compares with projected offshore wind deployment requirements to 2030, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9718/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra358. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Transport the number of offshore wind projects that have identified Irish ports as construction or marshalling locations, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9735/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra359. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Transport whether the absence of fully operational offshore wind marshalling ports has resulted in project delays, increased costs or loss of investment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9736/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 349, 356, 358 and 359 together.
My Department is committed to facilitating the development of port facilities to enable offshore renewable energy (ORE) development from Irish ports. Developers have currently sought permission for 3.8GW of ORE capacity in the planning system. The Irish ports are in prime position to enable the construction of these Offshore Wind Farms once demand for the use of port facilities materialises for the Marshalling and Assembly phase of construction. The ports will also be ready to service the projects from an Operations and Maintenance perspective.
The matter of offshore wind farm projects, including their development, delivery, and the provision of updates on their project status, falls under the responsibility of the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment (DCEE). However, my Department, which sits on the Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce, is aware that many of the Phase One development proposals expect to require port infrastructure for deployment of offshore wind farms in 2029 or later.
My Department has actively encouraged the its commercial state ports to consider the commercial opportunities associated with ORE, as is evident through policy my Department published in 2021 on the facilitation of ORE by commercial state ports, in recognition of the need for additional port capacity to service the ORE industry. The policy statement endorses a multiport approach as the most optimal policy, facilitating a strong response from the ports sector and private entities within ports.
Under the National Ports Policy, commercial state ports operate on an independent commercial basis. It is the responsibility of the port companies to engage with offshore wind developers and determine themselves how they will service and support the offshore wind industry. To this end, the commercial state ports have engaged with offshore wind developers and have made significant progress developing solutions and facilities that will support Irish ORE projects.
In this regard, the Port of Cork Company is progressing with the construction of its CORE 1- Offshore Wind Marshalling and Assembly Berth, at Ringaskiddy East. This development consists of a single berth with depth of 13m, quay length of 200m, laydown/quayside area and a new storage yard. The berth represents Phase One of a multi-phase development planned by the company at Ringaskiddy. Having received renewed planning permission in December 2025, the Port of Cork Company is exploring plans to progress the construction of the second berth.
The Ringaskiddy development will be the first port in Ireland with a facility for ORE deployment and will allow the port to facilitate Marshalling and Assembly in time for the phase 1 ORE projects in Irish waters. The facility will also be well placed to service the future development projects which will come from the South Coast Designated Marine Area Plan (DMAP).
In 2025, the Port of Waterford Company and Rosslare Europort (operated by Iarnród Éireann) both received Maritime Area Consents (MACs) for their planned port development projects and both have taken the critical step of submitting planning applications to An Coimisiún Pleanála. Each of these are also well placed to support Phase One projects as well as the future South Coast Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP) projects.
Rosslare Europort specifically has plans to develop:
• Two ORE purpose-built quays and berth of at least 200m length each
• A 20 hectares (200,000m2) reclamation area for ORE quayside storage and preconstruction
• Capital dredging will be conducted on the fairway approaches to Rosslare Europort, increasing the depth to 10m.
Shannon Foynes Port Company has submitted a MAC application for a large-scale development at Foynes Island in 2025. The port is planning to service the development of the future floating industry on Ireland’s West Coast.
Certain local authority-owned ports also envisage a role in the ORE industry in Ireland. In this regard, the Department is aware of plans by:
• The Port of Galway.
• Drogheda Port Company.
The Department is also aware that the following facilities, some privately owned, are also planning port projects to enable ORE development:
• ESB Moneypoint in the Shannon Estuary,
• Greenore Port based in County Louth,
• Cork Dockyard in Cork Harbour,
• Leahill Port in Bantry Bay,
• Bremore Port project.
