Government urged to work with industry to create offshore wind jobs

Wind Energy Ireland is calling on the Government and key State agencies to work more closely with industry to build an Irish renewable energy sector that would create thousands of jobs, revitalise coastal communities and sustainably grow the economy.

The call was made by a Wind Energy Ireland delegation which is meeting this morning with the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The delegation included Vanessa O’Connell, Head of Irish offshore wind developer Inis Offshore Wind, and Kieran Ivers, CEO of Cork-based supply-chain company Green Rebel.

The invitation to meet the committee came following the publication of a new position paper, Working Together: Building Ireland’s Offshore Industry, which makes a series of recommendations for how industry, Government and coastal communities can work together to create jobs and support Irish businesses. A copy of the delegation's opening statement is available here.

Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, said: “Government and industry must work together to drive strategic investment in our ports, skills capacity and local enterprise to ensure offshore wind farms create jobs, support businesses at home and deliver long-term benefits for communities across this island.

“With the right approach, with industry, Government and coastal communities working together, we can build a whole new industry, supporting balanced regional development, creating thousands of jobs and driving sustainable growth in Ireland.”

Challenges ahead

The delegation from Wind Energy Ireland identified challenges to the development of Ireland’s offshore wind industry. They highlighted the need for:

• Industry to work closely with the Government’s Offshore Wind Delivery Task-force to design an action plan to support the development of a strong domestic offshore renewable energy industry;
• Strategic investment into Irish ports to ensure that they are ready to support the construction of offshore wind farms;
• Address the growing skills gap by establishing a High-Level Implementation Group to deliver the recommendations set out in the Skills for Zero Carbonreport;

Noel Cunniffe continued: “Only one port on the island – Belfast Harbour – is suitable to support the construction of an offshore wind farm. We urgently need support for other ports to ensure they are ready for the opportunities that will come in developing offshore wind. If we do not, we could see that work and that investment going to ports in other countries.”

Head of Inis Offshore Wind, Vanessa O’Connell, said: “We at Inis Offshore Wind, with the backing of Temporis Aurora LP, whose investors include the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), are committed to working together with industry, Government and our stakeholders.

“Our ambition is to deliver on the compelling opportunity to create a whole new inter-linked national industrial sector and strategy for the accelerated growth of renewable energy with the related environmental and economic benefits for the people of Ireland.”

Kieran Ivers, CEO of Green Rebel, said: “Offshore wind presents a huge opportunity for us to create sustainable employment opportunities along the Irish coastline. To achieve this, there needs to be collaboration between policy makers, industry and local communities.

“At Green Rebel, we are proud to set an example of how local Irish supply chain can support the offshore sector, while upholding international standards and ensuring the economic value of Ireland's offshore resources gets reinvested at home.”

ENDS