SSE Renewables has secured planning permission from Wicklow County Council for an operations and maintenance base for the 800MW Arklow Bank 2 offshore wind farm off Ireland.
The O&M base will be built at the south dock in Arklow Harbour
The facility will serve as the onshore support base used to control, operate and maintain the offshore wind farm during its operational lifetime.
It will accommodate around 80 long-term direct, local jobs during the operation of the wind farm which will include site managers, supervisors, technicians, vessel crew, control room operators and engineers.
Hundreds more jobs will be created and sustained during the construction phase of the operations base and the wider project, SSE said.
The four-storey Nearly Zero Energy Building will also feature a sustainable education centre on its top floor that will complement Arklow’s decarbonisation zone status.
The centre will act as a link between the offshore wind farm and the local community and will have the capacity to accommodate exhibitions, guided tours and sustainability-themed events.
At the south dock, designated quayside and berth facilities will be constructed to accommodate four crew transfer vessels (CTVs) and a pontoon system will be installed to provide for safe boarding, loading and unloading of CTVs.
SSE Renewables development manager Kaj Christiansen said: “We are extremely pleased to have planning permission granted for the operations and maintenance facility which will support Arklow Bank 2’s offshore infrastructure.
“This means that another critical piece of the puzzle is now in place as we work to deliver this project by 2028.
“SSE Renewables is committed to building a state of the art facility in South Dock which will provide 80 local jobs for the town of Arklow and lead the way in the regeneration of Arklow Harbour and unlocking its long term potential.”