SSE Renewables has submitted an application to the Irish Government for a Maritime Area Consent (MAC) for the second phase of its Arklow Bank Wind Park offshore wind project.
The MAC application being submitted is the next step forward in plans by SSE Renewables to progress the offshore wind project off Ireland.
It follows the landmark decision earlier this week by An Bord Pleanála to grant planning permission for the onshore grid infrastructure necessary to connect the 800MW Phase 2 of Arklow Bank to Ireland’s electricity transmission grid.
The MAC application has been made via Ireland’s recently introduced marine planning process announced in April 2022 by Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan TD.
Phase two of Arklow Bank Wind Park will be located in an area situated 6-13 km off the County Wicklow coastline, to the east of Arklow.
The development, which builds on the existing GE-owned seven turbines that comprise the operational first phase of the wind park, is targeting delivery of up to 800MW of installed offshore wind energy under the Irish Government’s new Maritime Area Planning (MAP) Act process.
The submission of a MAC application means the Arklow Bank project will now progress through the new marine planning regime alongside other qualified Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) projects in the Irish Sea and off the west coast of Ireland.
If SSE Renewables successfully secures a Maritime Area Consent from the Government, it can then apply to Ireland’s planning board, An Bord Pleanála, for permission to build out the project’s next phase.
This future planning application would include detailed proposals for the offshore infrastructure required, including offshore wind turbines, offshore substation platforms, and subsea cables, as well as an accompanying Environmental Impact Assessment for the wind park’s offshore infrastructure.
SSE Renewables intends to commence a draft of this Environmental Impact Assessment later this year as part of the project’s ongoing development.
Barry Kilcline, director of offshore development for Ireland at SSE Renewables, said: “With the submission of our MAC application for offshore infrastructure to the Irish Government, we are driving momentum in our project delivery and taking another step forward towards being able to submit a planning application to An Bord Pleanála to build out the next phase of Arklow Bank Wind Park.”
The offshore wind energy project is expected to require an investment of up to €2.5bn and, under current planning timelines, is expected to deliver first power in 2028 and completion in 2029, subject to a final investment decision.
Earlier this week by An Bord Pleanála made Irish planning history by granting permission to SSE Renewables to develop onshore grid infrastructure for Arklow Bank Wind Park including a substation development at the Avoca River Business Park.
That decision means SSE Renewables has become the first renewable energy company to ever secure planning permission to develop onshore transmission grid infrastructure for an Irish offshore wind farm.