An Bord Pleanála’s decision to grant planning permission to develop the onshore infrastructure to connect the Arklow Bank Wind Park to Ireland’s electricity transmission grid has been hailed as an “historic first” for Arklow.
he Bord’s decision means that SSE Renewables has become the first renewable energy company to secure consent to develop onshore transmission grid infrastructure for an Irish offshore wind farm.
It has also been welcomed as another step forward in the development of the second phase of the Arklow Bank Wind Park and as a major boost for the town and south Wicklow.
“The landmark decision by the Irish planning board is an historic first for Ireland’s offshore wind sector and Arklow,” said Senator Pat Casey.
SSE Renewables applied to the Board for permission to develop a 220kV substation at Avoca River Business Park through its subsidiary Sure Partners.
The Bord has approved the development, with an associated connection from the new substation to the existing national transmission network. The consented development also includes an underground cable route and associated infrastructure connecting the substation to the landfall point at Johnstown North, Arklow, where it will meet the offshore cables connecting to the wind farm.
Senator Casey said the announcement is a “great achievement for south Wicklow”.
“The development of this historic first in green infrastructure represents a major economic boost for the area, with significant investment to be made in the development of facilities in readiness to support Ireland’s flagship offshore wind project in Arklow.
“The new infrastructure places Arklow above every other investment location in Ireland as it now has secured this green renewable energy connection which will herald a new green tech and sustainable jobs era for Arklow,” Senator Casey said.
Kaj Christiansen, Arklow Bank Development Manager at SSE Renewables, said: “We’re delighted to have received this decision from An Bord Pleanála, and to have achieved this critical milestone in the development of the Arklow Bank Wind Park, Phase 2. This consent is the culmination of almost three years of work by members of our project team, and our consultants, ARUP, as well as supportive stakeholders.”
In March, SSE Renewables confirmed it intended to apply to the Government under the new maritime consent process for its Arklow wind farm. Maritime Area Consent (MAC) must be obtained by a developer before an application for planning permission can be submitted to An Bord Pleanála.
The decision to move to the MAC process means that SSE Renewables has also revised the project, increasing its output to 800MW from 520MW.
The revised offshore wind energy project is expected to require an investment of up to €2.5 billion and, under current planning timelines, SSE Renewables said they expected to deliver the wind farm in 2028, subject to a final investment decision.
Mr Christiansen re-iterated that the wind farm is expected to bring a major jobs boost to Arklow and south Wicklow.
“Approximately 80 long term, local jobs will be supported for the lifetime of the wind farm, approximately 30-35 years, at our proposed Operations and Maintenance Facility (OMF) at South Dock, Arklow Harbour,
“For the construction phase, we are looking at hundreds of jobs across different work packages onshore and offshore – everything from cabling to turbine installation. We are already supporting the local supply chain, through the procurement of survey vessels and environmental consultancy services. We have in excess of 60 team members now working on the Arklow Bank Wind Park Phase 2 project, many of whom are located in Wicklow, north Wexford, and south Dublin.
Mr Christiansen said the jobs created by the project would “have a positive economic impact on other businesses in Arklow”.
“A wide variety of supply chain contractors and services will be required to deliver the project, some of these are already engaged, others will be procured through a tendering process as plans progress."
Councillor Peir Leonard also welcomed the announcement that consent for the onshore infrastructure has been secured. She said she looks forward to continuing the positive relationship with SSE Renewables. The company has been supportive of many environmental projects in south Wicklow and North Wexford.
The project promises to bring in a substantial number of workers to Arklow, which would bring a knock-on benefit for other business owners in the town.
“Any extra footfall to town would be great, local businesses would benefit greatly, if it brings tourists to the area, it would also be great,” a spokesperson for Arklow Tourist Office said.
Meanwhile, SSE Renewables has also been granted a foreshore licence to start key maritime site survey investigations.
The survey works aim to provide the project team with a better understanding of the offshore site conditions. It is intended the results of the survey will help optimise the overall design of the wind farm.
The survey activities will be conducted by the DEME vessel ‘Neptune’ and are planned to be completed by the end of August 2022, subject to weather.
Separately, Wicklow County Council is expected to issue a decision on SSE Renewables’ plans for the €15 million onshore hub at Arklow Harbour in the coming weeks.
The facility will include a purpose-built office and warehouse buildings, as well as adjacent quayside berthing for up to four crew transfer vessels.
