Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I am committed to facilitating the commercial State ports under my remit as positive contributors to the offshore renewable energy, ORE, industry to support Ireland in meeting its ambitious targets of 5 GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030, with a further 2 GW in development for the production of green hydrogen and other non-grid uses. Supporting the development of port infrastructure is a core objective of the national offshore wind delivery task force and the Department is working very closely with the task force in this regard.

In 2021, the Department published a policy statement on the facilitation of ORE by commercial ports in Ireland. This policy statement emphasises the importance of port facilities for ORE developments. A dedicated ORE ports facilitation division has been established in the Department to facilitate ports as they progress plans to service the offshore wind industry.

I welcome the recent publication of the draft south coast designated maritime area plan, SC-DMAP, by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications which recognises ports as a key component within the ORE supply chain. The presence of a significant number of strategically positioned ports, including the Port of Cork, within proximity to the south coast, speaks to this region’s potential to become a focal point for offshore wind development. I anticipate the development of the SC-DMAP will help to establish a stable, commercial environment for investments in port development by providing a transparent pipeline of proposed future fixed offshore wind projects. The Department will continue to support southern State ports through regular engagement and exploration of financing options with a view to maximising all opportunities for commercial State ports. This includes potential financing partners such as the EU through the Connecting Europe Facility, CEF, Fund, the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund and the European Investment Bank. This can be evidenced by the assistance given to ports that applied for funding under the 2023 call for the EU’s CEF Fund to further their offshore wind projects.

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