CLARE TD and Junior Minister, Timmy Dooley (FF) has said the Shannon Estuary will have “significant” opportunities for offshore wind amid the energy transition.
Speaking in Foynes at the ‘Future of Offshore Wind’, the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine and Minister of State at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment noted the potential of the Shannon Estuary and the Mid-West had to offer on the renewable energy front.
He said offshore wind will be “a crucial component” of Ireland’s energy system and a major part of the national plan to cut emissions and strengthen energy security. “Ireland has made real progress in accelerating offshore wind in recent years. We now have a clear pipeline of projects and a strong policy framework that is moving from planning into delivery”.
Junior Minister Dooley noted five early-stage offshore wind projects, with a combined capacity of 3.8 gigawatts, are currently in the planning system and are expected to begin generating electricity from 2031 or 2032.
Loacting Friday’s event in Foynes was particularly significant he felt, because Ireland will need ports and marine infrastructure to build offshore wind farms over the coming decades, and the Shannon Estuary will be key to this. “Ports will be critical to offshore wind, not just for construction but for long-term operations, maintenance and the supply chain. Foynes and the Shannon Estuary have the potential to play a major role in that story,” he stated.
Ambitious plans of the Shannon Foynes Port Company to develop a deepwater port at Foynes Island, aimed at supporting future offshore wind development, particularly floating offshore wind on the Atlantic coast were referenced by Dooley. He said work was continuing on a national maritime plan to identify suitable offshore areas around Ireland’s coastline for renewable energy. The aim is to support the overall national ambition of reaching 20 gigawatts of offshore renewable energy by 2040.
He also highlighted the State’s offshore surveying programme, which gathers and shares information about seabed conditions and weather/wave patterns to help prepare sites for auction and reduce risk for bidders. He confirmed €8 million has been secured for 2026 to continue this work, with a focus on surveys for the next planned auction site. “We all have a stake in the energy transition. It can deliver for our environment, our economy and our communities. The opportunities for regions like the Shannon Estuary are significant”.
