A joint venture between Cobra Instalaciones y Servicios and Flotation Energy has announced its plans to apply for development approval to build offshore wind farms once Ireland’s new legal framework is in place.
Offshore Wind Ltd (OWL) intends to construct Greystones, a wind farm off the coast of Ireland near Dublin. The offshore wind project would have a 1 GW installed capacity and would be built on bottom-fixed foundations. OWL also plans to build the Blackwater project, which will have a 1.5 GW installed capacity and will use floating wind technology, off the coast of Ireland’s south-east coast. The joint venture hopes to have its projects connected to the Irish grid by 2030, assuming it receives construction approval.
The Kincardine floating wind farm in Scotland, which is now the world’s largest floating wind farm, is also owned by Cobra, and the final 9.525 MW floating wind turbine was installed this month. RWE Renewables, which announced its desire to build a 900 MW wind farm off the coast of Ireland earlier this month, is one of the developers stating its plans to seek for authorisation when Ireland’s new laws take effect.
Ireland is working to establish a framework that will simplify the offshore wind permitting procedure and make the development of offshore wind farms easier and faster. On July 1, the country inaugurated the National Marine Planning Framework (NMPF), which was preceded by the approval of a new Maritime Area Planning (MAP) law by the Cabinet.
