Photo courtesy of Principle Power. Artist: DOCK90
Understanding port requirements, challenges and opportunities.
By Alan Henry, (Rockall Research), Michael McCarthy (MMCC Port Marine), Ben Kennedy (Wave Venture), and Sarah Kandrot (Wind Energy Ireland) on behalf of the SEAI-funded DIFOWT research project consortium.
Ireland has some of the best offshore wind resources in Europe. While parts of our maritime area are well-suited to fixed-bottom offshore wind, where turbines are installed directly into the seabed, deeper waters along the south, west and north coast’s make this approach less feasible. In these areas, floating offshore wind (FLOW) offers a solution by placing turbines on floating platforms secured to the seabed. As Ireland’s sea area is ten times its landmass, FLOW offers a significant opportunity. As a result, FLOW is expected to make up the majority of Ireland’s long-term offshore wind build-out, with Government expressing an ambition for up to 30 GW of floating capacity within the wider 37 GW offshore wind target for 20501,2.
To deliver FLOW at commercial scale, the development of Irish port infrastructure is essential3,4,5. FLOW ports need to provide the space, water depth and sheltered conditions needed to assemble turbines, integrate floating platforms, and support construction and long-term operation and maintenance of farms. Understanding the requirements of FLOW helps clarify which ports need to be developed to handle the integration and deployment of floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs), and where other ports can play important supporting roles in the supply chain.
Preliminary modelling results from the SEAI-funded DIFOWT project indicates that Ireland’s existing or current port infrastructure in planning, would not be sufficient to deliver the full 30 GW of floating offshore wind targeted for 2050. It could be achieved through timely investment, clear policy direction, and support for the development of Ireland’s deep-water ports as outlined above, as they progress from concept through planning to construction.
Floating wind requires more demanding infrastructure than fixed-bottom offshore wind. Fixed wind ports are primarily in the business of marshalling components: piles, turbine towers, nacelles and blades which are loaded onto installation vessels. Floating wind ports do the same marshalling of components but must also facilitate the integration of the wind turbine and floating platform base. This requires much greater water depths and space including wet storage capacity. The key requirements for FLOW ports include:
Due to geographic, hydrologic and navigational constraints, there are only two locations in Ireland with the characteristics needed for FLOW turbine integration: the Shannon Estuary and Bantry Bay.
Shannon Estuary
The Shannon Estuary is widely recognised as one of Ireland’s deep-water locations suitable for commercial-scale FLOW activity.
Development plans are progressing, although final specifications will depend on future investment and project requirements.
Bantry Bay
Bantry Bay also features the deep, sheltered waters necessary for FLOW.
As with all locations, further assessment, consenting and investment decisions are required before commercial deployment can take place.
Not all Irish ports will be able to meet the criteria for handling the integration and deployment of FOWTs, as they do not have the water depth and space needed, but they will still be required to play vital roles in a functioning national supply chain. For example, ports will be required to support operations & maintenance (O&M), cable laying & storage, anchors & moorings, crew transfer and assembly & marshalling of components, as well as in the deployment and servicing of the fixed bottom offshore wind sector.
Visit the DIFOWT project webpage for more information.
References
1 Department of the Taoiseach (2020) Programme for Government: Our Shared Future. Dublin: Department of the Taoiseach. Published 29 October 2020, last updated 7 April 2021. Available at: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/7e05d-programme-for-government-our-shared-future/ (Accessed: 9 December 2025).
2 Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment (2022) Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan II (OREDP II). Government of Ireland. Published 12 August 2022. Available at: https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-climate-energy-and-the-environment/publications/offshore-renewable-energy-development-plan-ii-oredp-ii/ (Accessed: 9 December 2025).
3 Gavin & Doherty Geosolutions. (2022) National Ports Study. Dublin: Wind Energy Ireland. Available at: https://windenergyireland.com/images/files/final-national-ports-study.pdf (Accessed: 9 December 2025).
4 Gavin & Doherty Geosolutions. (2023) We can build them: Supporting Irish ports to build offshore wind farms. Dublin: Wind Energy Ireland. April 2023. Available at: https://windenergyireland.com/images/files/20230329-final-irish-ports-funding-study.pdf (Accessed: 9 December 2025).
5 Rockall Research, Ocean Wave Venture & MMCC Port Marine (2023) SIMREI: Support Infrastructure for Marine Renewables in Ireland: Project Summary Report. Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. July 2023. Available at: https://www.seai.ie/documents/research-projects/RDD-000598.pdf (Accessed: 17 December 2025).
6 Floating Offshore Wind Taskforce (2023) Industry Roadmap 2040: Building UK Port Infrastructure to Unlock the Floating Wind Opportunity. London: RenewableUK / Scottish Renewables / The Crown Estate / Crown Estate Scotland. Available at: https://www.renewableuk.com/news-and-resources/publications/building-uk-port-infrastructure-to-unlock-the-floating-wind-opportunity/ (Accessed: 9 December 2025).
7 O’Connell, R. (ed.) (2025) Wet Storage in Ireland: A Research Synthesis. MaREI Centre, ERI, University College Cork, Ireland. Available at: https://zenodo.org/records/17358100 (Accessed: 9 December 2025).