Simply Blue Energy launches offshore Ireland wind farm project

Simply Blue Energy has taken the first steps to establish the Emerald project, a floating offshore wind farm in the Celtic Sea.

The company has applied to the Irish Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage for a licence to carry out initial site investigation works under the Foreshore Act, 1933, in an area off the Kinsale coast, County Cork.

The Emerald wind park will be in the vicinity of the Kinsale gas field, which is currently being decommissioned.

The project is intended to be delivered as a staged development starting with a pre-commercial array of about 100 MW and building to an overall capacity of 1 GW upon final completion.

The Emerald project will deploy Principle Power’s WindFloat technology in water depths of about 85 to 90 metres (279 to 295 feet), more than 35 km (22 miles) from the shore.

Sam Roch-Perks, managing director of Simply Blue Energy Ltd, said: “Ireland has massive unrealised potential for offshore wind energy production, particularly on the south and west coasts, and state of the art floating wind technology is the key to unlocking that potential.

“With a sea area ten times that of our land mass, we have a chance to catch and become a leader in offshore wind energy production both in Europe and globally, allowing us to become the ‘Green Gulf’ of renewable energy.”

The Irish government’s Climate Action Plan published in 2019 set a target capacity of at least 3.5 GW for offshore wind energy production by 2030.

The new programme for government intends to raise this target to 5 GW by 2030.

Source: Offshore Magazine