Eirgrid opens Cork presence to coordinate offshore windfarm development

EirGrid has opened an office in Cork to coordinate development of the country’s first offshore electricity substations, which will connect renewable energy from wind turbines off the south coast and feed ii into the national grid.

The office at Penrose Quay, which was officially opened today by Tánaiste Micheál Martin, will also act as a hub for starting the construction of the Celtic Interconnector linking Ireland with France.

Mr Martin, who opened what is the utility’s first office outside of Dublin, said it will support the delivery of critical infrastructure across the south of the country “that will play an important role in achieving the commitments set out in the Government’s Climate Action Plan.” The construction of offshore substations is part of EirGrid’s ‘South Coast Offshore Grid Infrastructure Programme’ that will mark the first phase in the development of an offshore electricity grid for Ireland.

This is seen as a key step in ensuring that up to 80% of the country’s energy comes from renewable sources by 2030.

EirGrid will construct new offshore substations as well as the cables and infrastructure linking them to the onshore grid.

The substations will connect 900 megawatts of electricity from wind turbines delivered by private developers, producing enough electricity to power almost 1m homes a year.

Studies will be carried out into potential locations for the substations, with exact locations to be identified following consultations with local communities and industries.

EirGrid chief executive Mark Foley said the delivery of an offshore electricity grid will be a big step in achieving Ireland’s climate goals.

Mr Foley said that along with providing social and economic opportunities for the region, the targeted placement of electricity substations will help to ensure that our precious offshore renewable resources can be developed in a manner that is most sensitive to the local environment and communities on the south coast.

“In line with this announcement, EirGrid is now embarking on an extensive public engagement process that will seek the views of local communities, businesses and industries on how we can progress the delivery of offshore grid infrastructure in a way that takes appropriate consideration of the needs and opinions of all stakeholders,” Mr Foley said.

Developed by EirGrid and its French counterpart, Réseau de Transport d’Electricité (RTÉ), the Celtic Interconnector is a 700-megawatt high-voltage submarine power cable linking Cork and the north-west coast of France.

A 575km-long cable will be laid under the seabed between north-west Brittany and Youghal, Co Cork and will connects to the national grid at nearby Knockraha.

When operational in 2026, it will be the first power connection between Ireland and continental Europe and will be able to import and export enough electricity to power 450,000 homes per year. Its construction is scheduled to begin next month.