SSE Renewables has announced a €2.5bn offshore wind energy project off Co Wicklow will be delayed until 2028 as it seeks planning permission for an extended wind farm under the government's new maritime area planning laws.
The company plans to apply for maritime area consent (MAC) for phase two of its Arklow Bank Wind Park project under the new consenting regime announced this week by Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan.
The company has notified Ryan and Minister of State for Planning Peter Burke of its intention to transfer the offshore wind project into the MAC regime, alongside its other offshore renewable energy projects in the Irish Sea and off the west coast of Ireland.
The government introduced the Maritime Area Planning Act in December to regulate Ireland's maritime area for uses including offshore energy development, and under a new offshore consenting process, developers must have a MAC in making their planning applications.
MAC applicants will be assessed in areas such as financial and technical competency, with assessments made by the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications, and the first MACs expected to be issued later this year, with the first Offshore Renewable Energy Support Scheme (ORESS) under the law likely to open in the fourth quarter
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Having developed Arklow Bank through the Foreshore Act, SSE Renewables will now progress the project through the newly introduced marine planning process, which will result in delays to its delivery despite a "substantial increase" in capacity at the site.
The company said it had revised the power generation output of the site to 800MW, making it capable of powering almost 850,000 homes annually, almost double the number of homes initially targeted, and reduced carbon emissions by 830bn kg per year.
The proposed onshore underground cable route and the location of the substation at the Avoca River Business Park will remain unchanged.
It is expected that the project will require investment of €2.5bn and that it will be delivered, under current planning timelines, by 2028, subject to a final investment decision. Around 80 people are currently employed at the project's operations and maintenance base at Arklow Harbours' South Dock.
"SSE Renewables is totally committed to Arklow, to Co Wicklow and north Wexford, and to the Arklow Bank Wind Park project. We expect to be able to invest around €2.5 billion in the revised project to deliver a new 800MW offshore wind farm by 2028 which will produce substantially greater power generation output at Arklow Bank than under our previous plans," Barry Kilcline, director of offshore development for Ireland at SSE Renewables, said.
"As a result, the project will make an even more significant contribution to Ireland’s climate action targets and our economy, both nationally as well as locally. The increased offshore energy output will also greatly enhance the annual value of the community fund investment that we can deliver to communities in south Wicklow and north Wexford."
Under the new process, SSE Renewables will be required to prepare a new Environmental Impact Assessment for the wind park’s offshore infrastructure, and the company intends to commence a draft of this report later this year as part of the project’s ongoing development.
(Pic: Getty Images/SSE Renewables)
