Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The port capacity study is currently under way and is due for completion shortly. Upon its finalisation a full review of national ports policy will commence later this year which will look at the overall ports policy framework. The first stage in this review will be the drafting of an issues paper and it is anticipated that this will go to public consultation in early 2023. Pending this review, I have published a policy statement on the facilitation of offshore renewable energy by commercial ports in Ireland, making it clear to the offshore industry that we are committed to the provision of port facilities in Ireland for offshore renewable energy, ORE, developments. In Ireland, the contribution from the Government to the ORE industry will be embedded in the offshore renewable energy supply schemes, ORESS 1, ORESS 2 and later auctions, where guaranteed income for the electricity produced will enable the wind farms to be financed and cover the cost of required port infrastructure and services.

In relation to funding, our State ports operate as independent commercial bodies. Under national ports policy, no Exchequer funding is provided to them.

It is envisaged that like all port infrastructure, the ORE facilities will be funded through a combination of: port revenues, including from the ORE industry; EU funding; and borrowing from the likes of the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, ISIF, the European Investment Bank, EIB, and other financial institutions. My Department is already engaging with the various institutions, including the EU Commission, on the availability of funding for ports in providing the ORE infrastructure to meet the EU's and Ireland's ambitions. In line with the policy statement, a number of ports are progressing plans for the delivery of port infrastructure to facilitate ORE deployment activity, including the ports named by the Deputy in this question. These are all trans-European network for transport, TEN-T, ports and, as such, are eligible to apply for Connecting Europe Facility, CEF, grant funding. The Department is assisting, as appropriate, eligible applicants in the application process.

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