Goal to develop Rosslare Europort as a key facilitator in the delivery of large-scale offshore wind farm projects in Irish coastal waters.
The port of Rosslare could soon be a bustling hub focused on delivering offshore wind projects off Ireland’s south-east coast.
Renewable energy business Source Galileo and Iarnród Éireann, the Port Authority for Rosslare Europort, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work together with the aim of achieving the common goal of developing Rosslare Europort to power future wind projects.
“We believe there are strong synergies to be achieved as we work together to place this renewable energy industry at the heart of Ireland’s decarbonised future”
A redevelopment plan for Rosslare Europort to facilitate both offshore wind farm construction, and operations and maintenance, is currently being progressed by Iarnród Éireann. It plans to establish the port, its hinterland, and the south-east region as Ireland’s Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Hub, with the potential to create up to 2,000 jobs.
Rosslare Europort is uniquely located within 60 to 100 nautical miles of most of the planned Offshore Renewal Energy developments in the Irish and Celtic seas.
To deliver its vision for ORE, Rosslare Europort plans significant works including a purpose-built quay and berth; quayside storage and pre-construction up to 50 acres in area; a navigation channel dredged down to a minimum of nine to 11 metres depth; and a management control centre and offices.
A new industry for the south-east
While the joint agreement between Source Galileo and Iarnród Éireann is non-exclusive in nature, it seeks to combine their respective fields of expertise and knowledge to maximise the opportunities and potential to develop their respective development plans.
Source Galileo is developing 10 GW of offshore wind to electricity and wind to hydrogen projects off the coasts of Europe. Its portfolio includes the Mac Lir project, a proposed offshore wind farm located off the coasts of Wicklow and Wexford.
The project has a target installed capacity of 700 MW+, which equates to approximately 15% of Ireland’s commitment to achieve 5 GW of offshore wind by 2030. The project also has the potential to meet the needs of over 600,000 households and to offset over one million tonnes of carbon emissions each year.
“Source Galileo is developing a portfolio of projects that will generate substantial clean renewable energy direct to homes and business across Ireland,” explained Kevin Lynch, CEO of Source Galileo.
“We look forward to working with Iarnród Éireann to jointly develop solutions that will assist the Government to accelerate its target of delivering 5 GW of offshore wind by 2030, and 20 GW by 2040.”
At its nearest point, Mac Lir’s proposed turbine array area will be over 22 kilometres off the east coast, lying entirely outside Ireland’s 12 nautical mile foreshore limit. This area, which spans from south of Arklow to Cahore Point, has been strategically selected by Source Galileo to reduce visibility from the coast, to limit environmental and economic impacts and to harness stronger wind speeds that are found further offshore.
Ingka Investments, the investment arm of Ingka Group, the largest IKEA retailer, has secured a 20% stake in the Irish offshore wind projects of Source Galileo, which includes the Mac Lir project. Work is underway to prepare an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Scoping Report for the project, with the aim to submit a planning application for the project in late 2026.
“Rosslare Europort is excited to work with Source Galileo whose vision for the potential of ORE aligns with our own,” said Glenn Carr director of Commercial Business Units for Iarnród Éireann, Port Authority Rosslare Europort.
“We believe there are strong synergies to be achieved as we work together to place this renewable energy industry at the heart of Ireland’s decarbonised future.”
Main image at top: Shane Liddy, Project Manager, Source Galileo; Sarah Gibson, Senior Project Engineer, Source Galileo and Glenn Carr, Director Commercial Business Units for Iarnród Éireann, Port Authority Rosslare Europort
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