Martin Kenny
Question:1. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Transport if he will provide an update on development plans for the ports. [20789/23]
View answerThursday, 4 May 2023
Questions (1)
Oral answers (9 contributions)
I wish to ask the Minister of State about the plans the Government has for the upgrading of our port system across the country. There are two aspects of this that we need to get to grips with. The first is the opportunities there are for wind energy at sea and the issues around infrastructure given that many of our ports, particularly those on the west and south coasts, do not have the ability to be able to provide the kinds of services that are required for that industry. Will the Minister of State answer those questions also with regard to the development of Dublin Port and the issues around that?
I wish Deputy Kenny well in his new spokesperson role.
My Department, in line with national development plan objectives and national ports policy, continues to work with the State ports as they progress projects under their master plans and consider opportunities with regard to offshore wind energy. The tier 1 ports of Dublin, Cork and Shannon Foynes all undertook significant capital expenditure in 2022.
As Ireland’s largest port, Dublin Port has continued progressing implementation of its master plan. Considerable work has been completed on the Alexandra Basin redevelopment, which is the first of three strategic infrastructure development projects. Works are also ongoing on elements of the MP2 project, which is the second major capital development project from Dublin Port’s Masterplan 2040. Dublin Port is now progressing its third and final master plan project, the 3FM project. I have recently written to the Dublin Port Company in relation to this third and final phase and I, along with the Minister, Deputy Ryan, look forward to engaging further on this project and in the wider context of the ports policy review, which will commence shortly.
September 2022 saw the official opening of the Port of Cork Company’s Ringaskiddy redevelopment project, otherwise known as the Cork container terminal, at a cost of €89 million and representing the biggest single investment and infrastructure development made by the Port of Cork Company to date. The completion of the project represents the first phase of the port’s strategic development plan and capital investment programme, which will see new cargo handling equipment, an extension of the deep-water berth and a further extension of Ringaskiddy over the coming years. On 19 May, the Port of Cork will launch its Masterplan 2050. Over the course of the master plan timeline, it is envisaged that operations in the City Docks and Tivoli Docks will migrate towards the lower harbour. The proposed relocation of Port of Cork activities to the lower harbour will enable the development of Cork City Docks and Tivoli Docks for urban regeneration and much-needed housing under the Housing for All strategy.
Port of Cork, along with other ports, is also considering opportunities around offshore wind energy and is engaging with my officials on this. I have a lot more detail and I will come back to reply to the Deputy's supplementary questions.
I thank the Minister of State. It is remarkable that a recent report said that Belfast Port is the only port on the island that has the infrastructure in place to facilitate the construction and maintenance of offshore wind energy generation. For a long time in this House we have talked about the opportunities that lie off our coast, and particularly the west and south coasts, for the generation of wind energy and the export possibilities of that energy to continental Europe, never mind for our own uses here on the island of Ireland.
There really needs to be an emphasis on ensuring we put this infrastructure in place. Many of these ports do not handle a lot of cargo and do not handle a lot of ferry activity, but the opportunity is there for them around offshore wind energy. We really need to see a plan to deliver on this very quickly.
The second part of my question was on Dublin Port, which of course is the main port for a lot of cargo coming into the State. I visited the port in the past couple of weeks and the plans it has in place are very impressive. It is staying within the footprint of the existing port, which is quite limited in space. It is doing everything it can to make sure it uses the space as efficiently as possible. I note some of the criticism from the senior Minister in respect of that and I believe some of it is a little bit beyond what we need to hear at this stage. We need to get on with the business.
On offshore wind, the Deputy will be aware that the Port of Waterford is proposing to develop offshore renewable energy operations on the downstream location at Belview Port in Kilkenny. That project is at preliminary design stage. The Rosslare Europort is progressing plans for offshore renewable energy, ORE, with a purpose-built quay and berth and up to 50 acres for an ORE quayside storage area for the purposes of marshalling and assembly. This will require dredging of the navigable channel to a depth of 9 m to 11 m. Rosslare Europort expects to lodge a planning application in the second quarter of 2024 with a view to beginning construction in the third quarter of 2025.
With regard to offshore renewable energy more generally, we published a policy statement on this in 2021 following a decision in September 2022. Significant work on planning and consent relating to offshore renewable energy are being prioritised across all Departments. Irish ports involved in advancing ORE infrastructure projects are at various stages of development. A number of ports are already working with financial advisers to progress the detailed business cases around the investment requirements and how best these requirements can be met.
The whole issue of putting this infrastructure in place and the development of the capacity we need is completely beyond the ambition of this Government, which seems to be really lagging behind in developing the ports system in the State. It is one of the great disappointments that this opportunity exists and yet the Government is talking about publishing plans, doing reports and getting consultants in to talk about it. We should be getting on with the business of developing this capacity as quickly as possible.
I wish to bring to the Minister of State's attention another issue around Dublin Port. Since Brexit, a lane was put in place for a lot of the cargo coming in. Naturally enough we did not know what was going to happen because of Brexit and there were possibly a lot of checks to be put in place. Revenue and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine have some 14 ha of space at least from Dublin Port to use for this. That space is completely underutilised. Most of the time these huge yards and huge spaces are not being used at all. There needs to be a review of that and recognition of the progress that has been made with Brexit and the protocol deal, which has meant that the red lane and the amber lane will be used very little. There needs to be a review of this to open that space up so the port can be used properly.
On Dublin Port, the Deputy will be aware that a number of Departments were involved in that process, with the EU, on what footprint was required at that time.
On the Deputy's previous point about Dublin Port, there is a need for additional capacity at the port. The 3FM project outlines that there will be further demands within the Dublin Port footprint. I have had positive engagement with them. I had a meeting with them a number of weeks ago. We must ensure that the economic footprint of Dublin Port continues to be a key powerhouse in the context of trade, enterprise and industrial policy. The 3FM project is an extremely important plan in that context.
Is the Minister on board with that?
On the ORE port infrastructure, we are determined. There has been an issue and we are trying to reform that in the context of the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority, MARA, and getting the marine consents. We are also working with a number of ports on advancing the business plans so that the financing can be put in place. We are ambitious to ensure that we embrace the opportunities around offshore wind in the coming years.
We are over time but will be returning to the same topic.