Energia Group, one of Ireland’s leading developers and operators of renewable energy together with joint venture partner Vårgrønn, were the sponsors of an important offshore wind event hosted by Waterford Chamber at the Port of Waterford last week. Over one hundred stakeholders participated in what was the first formal discussion between regional and national stakeholders on the future of offshore wind development in the South East.

High on the agenda was the upcoming ORESS Tonn Nua auction earmarked for this summer which will see the winning developer construct a 900 MW offshore wind farm off the coast of Waterford. The Energia/Vårgrønn joint venture team are building on the significant work completed to date in anticipation of the upcoming auction. The South East region is also home to the first state-led Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP) published before Christmas last year, with four sites outlined for future offshore wind development including Site A, Tonn Nua.

The event, chaired by the Port of Waterford CEO, David Sinnott was a culmination of the development of key stakeholder relationships and engagement in the region by our joint venture team, including with the team at the Port, which kindly facilitated their space as the venue for the event.

Audience members comprised of government departments, state agencies, financial advisors, Waterford/Wexford/Kilkenny Council CEOs, supply chain companies as well as Education & Training Boards and Waterford Chamber member businesses.

The wide-ranging audience heard from keynote speakers like Peter Baillie, the Managing Director at Energia Renewables, who said “We see excellent opportunities for economic growth in Waterford and believe offshore wind can act as a catalyst for powering a new model of growth in the South East. This view comes from the extensive amount of site survey work and community engagement we have completed to date. Our comprehensive understanding of the offshore environment off the South East coast is unique among those looking at the upcoming offshore wind auction and, if successful, means that we can deliver the Tonn Nua offshore windfarm in an expedited manner.”

Looking ahead to future auctions, Peter also highlighted, “to maximise the economic opportunity for the South East, Government must accelerate development of a credible pipeline of plan-led projects based on transmission grid connection capacity and East coast DMAPs for developers and the supply chain to maintain investor interest and grow confidence in this nascent sector in Ireland.”

Stephen Bull, CEO of Vårgrønn outlined international best practice resulting from the company’s international experience including as a partner in the 3.6GW Dogger Bank windfarm in the North Sea, and in the operational Baltic 2 windfarm, as well as its joint venture stake in the 450MW Green Volt floating wind project, which won the first large scale UK CfD for floating wind in 2024.

Other speakers included representatives from supply chain companies Green Rebel, Artemis and Eastgate Engineering, outlining existing expertise in the Irish market and need for developing supply chain infrastructure. A panel session moderated by Waterford Port Director Marian Walsh included Dr. Francis Hardiman of South East Technological University, Gary Crowley of Vestas, Robert Costello of PWC, Donal Flavin of the IDA and Chris Hill of Vårgrønn. All spoke to the constraints inherent in the Irish offshore market including grid, ports, planning and lack of pipeline projects increasing the risk profile of Ireland’s nascent offshore market which is competing against an increasingly competitive global offshore market.

Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland provided an informative closing address summarising the key milestones to be expected for offshore wind in Ireland this year and the need to ensure continued collaboration going forward for the South East region.