Offshore wind power developer Ocean Winds has plunged into Irish market waters with an application for a foreshore licence for a planned 1.6GW bottom-fixed project off Dublin.

The Cailleach development, located on a 317km2 site some 13km off the coast in the Irish Sea, would reach full power by 2030, according to Ocean Wind, a 50:50 joint venture between European utilities Engie and EDPR.

“Our application for a foreshore licence marks our entry to a new market while the new competitive regulatory regime is being established. We look forward to presenting attractive, high-quality, highly competitive proposals, and creating new opportunities for local enterprises at the cutting edge of renewable technology,” said Andronikos Kafas, Ocean Wind’s new offshore wind opportunities manager.

Dan Finch, Ocean Winds’ UK and Ireland country manager, said: “The Irish government has acknowledged their geographic and climatic advantages with ambitious targets to achieve 5GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030, and are delivering public policy proposals to support this.

“We look forward to playing an important part as trusted partner in enabling Ireland to achieve its 2030 and wider netzero ambitions with this and future projects.”

The timeline for the project’s survey programme is designed to ensure that Cailleach – said by Ocean Winds to be “the first in a number of site [being] examined for development – is “well positioned” to bid into Ireland’s upcoming Renewable Electricity Support Scheme auctions.

Ocean Winds CEO Spyridon Martinis said: “Ireland has excellent renewable resources, and our background, expertise, strength and experience will allow the Irish economy to make best use of those resources.”

Ireland’s wind industry has been sounding alarm bells on speeding up regulatory measures needed to underpin an offshore wind build programme that’s “unlike anything ever done in Ireland before”, with the Irish Wind Energy Association saying the nation’s government has two years to fix gaping holes in regulation over planning, consenting and grid connection if it wants to hit the end-of-decade 5GW goal.

The 2030 target for fixed-foundation projects – a crucial part of national climate and energy plans that include a 70%-green power system – is the first step in a wider goal for wind at sea that also includes 30GW of floating turbines.

Cailleach further expands Ocean Winds’ offshore wind project portfolio, which includes 1.5GW of plant under construction and 4GW in development across Europe, the US and Asia. The developer said it would extend its ambitions” off Ireland to other sites, “employing [the company’s] extensive experience to deliver high-standard projects and in working with local suppliers where possible, promoting local market and supply chain growth”.

A spokesperson told Recharge while bottom-fixed offshore wind would be “essential” to Ireland reaching its near-term energy transition targets “due to cost competitiveness, current grid policy and supply chain capability”, the developer – which was involved in the pioneering WindFloat Atlantic project off Portugal – saw a “significant post-2030 opportunity” for floating wind to accelerate the country toward its net zero goal.

“Ocean Winds has ambitions to bring its significant experience to the country once the necessary policy framework is in place," said the spokesperson, adding it was “currently engaging in industry working groups to support the development of this framework”.

Construction of a vast fleet offshore wind farms around the world could deliver 10% of the carbon emission reduction needed to reach the Paris Agreement target of keeping global heating to within 2.0℃ of pre-industrial levels, according to a recent report from an industry action group led by developers Orsted and Equinor, which is calling on international governments to muster a 1.4TW build-out by 2050.

Wind

Ocean Winds plunges into Irish offshore play with gigawatt-scale Cailleach giant