Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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268. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the work his Department is doing to ensure ports are prepared to support Ireland’s ambitions for offshore wind; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23077/25]

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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My Department is committed to facilitating Irish Commercial State ports as positive contributors to the offshore renewable energy (ORE) industry to support Ireland in meeting its ORE targets. Supporting the development of port infrastructure is a core objective of the National Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce (OWDT) and the Department is working very closely with the Taskforce in this regard.

In 2021, the Department of Transport published a policy statement on the facilitation of offshore renewable energy by commercial ports in Ireland. This policy statement emphasises the importance of port facilities in Ireland for ORE developments and encourages all ports to actively engage with potential development opportunities. A dedicated ORE Ports Facilitation Division has been established in the department to facilitate ports as the ports progress plans to service the offshore wind industry. This Division represents the Department of Transport on the Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce.

The Department of Transport is continuing to engage with all industry stakeholders with a view to maximising all financing opportunities available to Irish Commercial State ports. This includes potential financing partners such as the European Union (EU), through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) fund, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), which is a sovereign investment fund with a mandate to invest on a commercial basis to support economic activity and employment in Ireland.

This engagement is evidenced through the assistance given to the Commercial State ports who applied for funding under the 2023 call for the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) fund to develop infrastructure to facilitate offshore wind projects. Officials in the Department of Transport provided critical feedback and guidance on the CEF applications. If successful, ports obtain up to 30% of costs for infrastructure or up to 50% of costs for studies.

In 2024 the Port of Cork was successful in its application for CEF funding up to €38 million for developments at Ringaskiddy which will allow the port to facilitate the construction of Phase One ORE projects. This funding along with a substantial financing agreement with ISIF will allow the Port of Cork to pursue its development plans, the first phase of which is presently under construction and is expected to be complete in Q4 2025.

Furthermore, the Department is working with the European Investment Bank (EIB), which is providing advisory support concerning a number of ORE port projects. The results of this engagement by the EIB will inform the approach of both ports and the Department in identifying further sources of finance for these projects.

The Department also chairs an ORE Ports Co-Ordination Group to facilitate consistent engagement with key stakeholders on ports’ progress with their ORE 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.