Alan Kelly
Question:183. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Transport his plans to develop the infrastructure of Irish ports for the future development of offshore wind. [19203/23]
View answerTuesday, 25 April 2023
Questions (183)
Written answers
I am committed to ensuring that the national commercial Irish ports are positive contributors to the ORE industry and that Ireland meets the ambitious targets of 7GW of offshore wind (2GW of which is specifically dedicated to green hydrogen) by 2030.
To achieve these ambitions a National Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce was established in 2022 by the Department of Environment, Climate & Communication (DECC) to focus efforts across the system on the delivery of offshore wind energy, it brings together senior representatives from key departments and agencies. Supporting the development of port infrastructure is a core objective and my department is working very closely within this Task Force in this regard.
In December 2021, my Department published a policy statement on the facilitation of ORE by Commercial Ports, the rationale for which was to bring clarity in policy terms and encourage all ports to actively engage with potential development opportunities and consider the potential being offered. In addition to the state commercial ports under the remit of my department, I note that there are also private commercial ports, as well as fishery harbours and local authority port which fall under the remit of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH) respectively.
In the development of port infrastructure, ports must progress their plans through a number of phases, this includes consenting and planning both which must be progressed in advance of the construction phase.
MARA is to be established in Q3 2023 and will begin processing applications for Maritime Area Consent (MAC). The first MACs are expected to then be awarded to ORE ports by end of 2023, after which the ports can begin pre-engagement consultation with An Bord Pleanála (ABP) with a view to obtain planning permission for construction of ORE infrastructure.
The Foreshore and MARA Planning Units of the DHLGH continue to engage with ports in relation to plans, timelines, requirements, and the consenting phase. This engagement will continue with a view to optimally supporting port readiness for MAC applications and ensure that ports can proceed through the consenting phases as efficiently as possible.
While Irish Ports receive no exchequer funding, EU funding of port infrastructure for ORE is available for ports, or terminals within ports, on the Trans European Network for Transport (TEN-T).
Ports on the TEN-T network are eligible to apply for Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) funding towards their infrastructure developments, with the potential for up to 50% of eligible costs for studies and up to 30% of infrastructure works costs. The latest CEF call for funding closed on 18 January 2023 with the results expected in June 2023.
Furthermore, my Department continues to proactively engage with the Irish Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), European Investment Bank (EIB) and the EU Commission regarding the availability of funding and financing options for ports in providing the necessary ORE infrastructure.