Shannon Foynes Port Company has made a step forward in turning the Shannon Estuary into an international floating offshore wind hub. The port company has signed a memorandum of understanding with Norwegian Offshore Wind.

Shannon Foynes Port Company has stated that Ireland has the potential to not only meet its climate change targets but become one of Europe’s leading renewable energy nations. The MOU will enable collaboration between SFPC and offshore wind interests in Norway, providing a framework for further collaboration on market activities towards both the Irish and Norwegian offshore wind market. Moreover, the agreement provides a platform for research, development and innovation (RDI) activities for Irish and Norwegian companies.

Norway is already a world leader in offshore wind and its government launched a large-scale investment plan aimed at allocating sea areas to develop 30 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2040.

“The ports in Norway and Ireland are a vital component in the supply chain in offshore wind, and thus imperative for the countries in Northern Europe to reach their renewable ambitions,” said Arvid Nesse, general manager of Norwegian Offshore Wind.

“This agreement will strengthen the cooperation between the ports along the Norwegian coast and one of the hubs for floating wind in Ireland. I am convinced that the agreement will create a cooperation platform for market and RDI activities that will be mutually beneficial for Norway, Ireland and the entire industry in Northern Europe. This agreement additionally provides Norwegian companies with opportunities in the fast emerging Irish offshore wind market,” he said.

Shannon Foynes Port Company CEO Pat Keating said, “Norway is a world leader in the development of floating wind and it’s this very technology that will enable Ireland to not alone meet its longer term climate change targets but become an international energy hub for the first time in our history. The Shannon Estuary will be a key enabler of that because of its proximity to offshore winds and its deep waters, which are essential for supply chain.”

“Ireland’s potential from floating offshore wind generation off the West coast alone stands at 70GW, which is 12 times our current installed wind capacity on land. So what we now need to do is to realise that opportunity and being able to partner with global leaders like Norway will be a key enabler of that. Norwegian Offshore Wind’s partnership with us on this MOU reflects just how big that opportunity is and we look forward to working closely with them to progress this mutually beneficial relationship,” Keating said.