Port of Cork set to open €100m deepwater berth dedicated to offshore energy development
The Port of Cork is poised to become the first port in the Republic to deliver dedicated quay facilities for the offshore renewable energy sector through a new €100m development.
The 200-metre long CORE1 (Cork Offshore Renewable Energy 1) deepwater berth at Ringaskiddy East will be ready for use by October, port officials have said.
It will have the length, depth, and load-bearing capacities required by companies that will build the large-scale offshore wind farms proposed for the Irish and Celtic seas.
However, the Port of Cork Company has said it will need additional land and funding to provide the full range of dedicated quayside facilities that the sector requires if it is to help Ireland achieve its ambitious targets to create at least 37GW of offshore renewable energy generation capacity by 2050 — about six times our current peak electricity demand.
The port company set out its progress on offshore renewable energy infrastructure for EU Commissioner Michael McGrath and his officials during a visit to the CORE1 project, which is being co-financed by the EU to the tune of some €38m.
'It would not have happened without a grant from the EU,' the port's commercial officer Conor Mowlds said.
'But there are challenges facing the port now after handing over 30-acres for offshore renewable energy (ORE).
"However, Cork has the potential to become the centre of gravity to support Ireland's ORE sector — similar to what happened to Aberdeen during the North Sea oil boom.'
Mr McGrath said that, given the scale of EU funding involved, he wanted to see the project first-hand and be briefed on where it fits within the Port of Cork's overall capital development ambitions.
'They have very ambitious plans for the years ahead, which will have to be brought forward in a phased manner and will require extensive consultation with the local community, statutory processes will have to be followed, and then funding packages put together," he said.
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