Ireland is a key market for the offshore wind industry in Norway

-This market is experiencing a ketchup-effect. For a long time, there was little movement in the market, but now it´s full speed ahead, says Tor Arne Johnsen, who is in charge of Ireland & UK in Norwegian Offshore Wind (NOW). 

Ireland is now targeting 5 GW by 2030, 20 GW by 2040, and at least 37 GW by 2050. During Wind Energy Trade Show last week, Norwegian supply chain companies and developers gained more insight on the opportunities ahead in Ireland.  The visit gave us a good picture of the massive optimism in the market.

According to recent analysis from 4C Offshore, confidence in the Irish market has increased with the award of 3.1 GW under the ORESS 1.0 auction this year. The winning projects are expected to be operational by 2030. 

The additional capacity needed to achieve the 5 GW target will be awarded in ORESS 2 auctions in development zones to appear in Designated Maritime Plan Areas (DMAPs). 4C also estimates that only ~3 GW of floating is likely to be achieved by 2040. 

-We experience an increased interest among Norwegian companies for the Irish market, and vice versa. Irish developers and authorities are now more aware of what Norwegian companies and solutions can add to the development of the Irish offshore wind industry, says Deputy Bente Lyngstad at the Norwegian Embassy in Dublin, who welcomed the Norwegian delegation to Wind Energy Ireland Trade Show. 

Norway has a strong position

-Norwegian developers are well positioned in the Norwegian market, which is good news for the supply chain, says Johnsen. 

Fred Olsen and Statkraft were two of the winners in ORESS 1. Statkraft presented NISA project (500MW), one of the awarded projects in a Norway-seminar at Wind Energy Trade Show. 

This week, developer Source Galileo announced that IKEA, through Ingka Investments, has invested in their offshore wind projects in Ireland and the UK. Source Galileo is now developing projects of 10GW offshore wind in Norway, Ireland and UK.

According to 4C, the government has changed from a developer led approach to offshore wind to a government plan-led approach. This means that the government identifies the areas for development, then procures a developer via auctions. The winning developer will still need a Maritime Area Consent (MAC) for site exclusivity, and planning consent.

-Through our working group for Ireland and the UK, we are planning activities that will lead to signed contracts between Irish and Norwegian offshore wind companies. The Norwegian supply chain should look to Ireland, the timing is now perfect, says Alfred Risan, who is heading up the working group for Ireland and the UK in Norwegian Offshore Wind. 

NOW has several Irish members in their network, such as Dublin Offshore Wind and TFI Marine. They also have an MOU and ports collaboration with Shannon Foynes.