Mr. Glenn Carr:

We are members of Wind Energy Ireland. Most of the ports are members and it is a very helpful and good association. We are in detailed commercial discussions with the developers and it is now very clear that the ports have a clear path. Our delivery plan is to be ready in late 2026 or early 2027. That is aligned and as the Senator can imagine, people want to keep the pressure on in commercial conversations. He is right that there is not a port in the Republic of Ireland with the physical infrastructure ready today but we will certainly be ready in 2027 and in time to provide the support. We work closely with Wind Energy Ireland and all the developers to ensure that.

In terms of the skill set, in Rosslare we also work with Wexford County Council, Enterprise Ireland, Skillnet Ireland and the universities. This is not just about creating a piece of infrastructure in the port but about creating a hub and supporting the industries with training facilities and so on. It is about new enterprise and start-ups. In my visits to the some of the ports, I have found that some of the small components are starting to be made in the local area.

There is a history of jobs like that, involving fabrication skills, in the south east, which are key skills that need to be brought back. The universities are certainly looking at, and are working with the developers on, where the next generation of skills will come from. We are starting to see that happening already as regards courses being developed. The good thing is, from talking to these companies, many Irish people who have gone abroad to work in this sector are now migrating back. That connection is there.

Regional areas, such as Rosslare and Wexford, can offer housing, a way of life and schooling that are probably not subject to the same degree of pressures there are in the major cities. For any of the developers we are talking to, that work-life balance, as well as an available labour force or a labour force that is being developed for the future, is essential. We are working together and have endorsements from all the county councils in the south east. We are working with Waterford Port on operations and maintenance, OM, in addition to Wicklow which will be doing the OM, and so on. It is about creating that cluster and then delivering that activity, at the end of the day, for customers who, in this case, are the developers. That is all part of their decision-making when they are looking at a site.

Sometimes, it is not just about the port. That infrastructure is essential but it is about what else is wrapped around that port that creates the hub. If the hub is created, then jobs are created. We have estimated that up to 2,000 jobs could be created in heavy construction and ongoing OM. If there is no port infrastructure, the reality is there is potentially a big risk of losing that cluster and hub.