Codling Wind Park will have a generating capacity of 1,300 MW – generating enough clean energy to power over one million Irish homes
Critical energy infrastructure project will deliver a quarter of Ireland’s 2030 offshore wind target
Project will establish a Community Benefit Fund worth up to €200m to fund community-based projects
Press Release – Thursday 29th August 2024:
Codling Wind Park, Ireland’s largest Phase 11 offshore renewable energy project will submit its planning application to An Bord Pleanála early next week. A planning notice for the project is being published in local papers in Wicklow and Dublin and will be included in a national newspaper tomorrow Friday.
The owners
The project is a 50/50 joint venture between Fred. Olsen Seawind and EDF Renewables – believe the application marks a significant milestone not just for Codling Wind Park but for the development of Ireland’s offshore renewable sector and national climate policy.
Codling Wind Park will have a capacity of up to 1,300 megawatts (MW) and will be able to supply over 1 million Irish homes with clean renewable energy.2 It will be located between 13 to 22km off the Wicklow coast and will connect to the Irish grid at Poolbeg in Dublin.
The project will also reduce Irish energy generation emissions and displace over 1.7 million tonnes of carbon.3 The project alone accounts for just over one quarter of Ireland’s entire 2030 target for grid connected offshore energy.
Project Director of Codling Wind Park, Scott Sutherland said the application was the product of over fifteen years of data gathering and site investigations, both onshore and offshore, which included geophysical, aerial and vessel-based surveys.
“This is a big moment for climate action, for Irish energy independence and for the local communities who will share in the benefits of the project. This is one of the largest energy infrastructure investments ever seen in Ireland and a tremendously exciting project to work on. We are very confident in our application which is informed by detailed surveys, studies and assessments of the local environment and consultation with stakeholders, which aligns with the highest Irish and international standards of environmental assessment and planning.”
“The project that is being put forward for planning strikes the right balance between environmental considerations and technical feasibility, as well as different environmental constraints. The application takes a conservative and comprehensive account of a broad range of considerations including the local seabed and tidal conditions, visual landscapes and seascapes, geology, archaeology, marine life, ornithology and protected sites.”
“The application is the culmination of years of hard work by the project team and we look forward to progressing it through the planning system, and then delivering the full range of economic and environmental benefits that the project will bring for Ireland, for climate change and for people locally”.
Upon receiving a positive planning outcome, Codling Wind Park would move forward to construction and start generating power by 2030. The project is predicted to create over 1,000 jobs during construction and approximately 75 long term operations and maintenance roles.
Earlier this year the project announced a further c. 25% reduction in the number of wind turbines which would be required to deliver the project.
While the original estimate for the number of turbines required was 420, this was later reduced to 100. In April the project confirmed that the maximum number of turbines would be 75.
Codling Wind Park said the project design was informed by advances in technology and an extensive public consultation and engagement process which has been conducted over the last two years.
Subject to planning permission and all other necessary permits and consents being received, Codling Wind Park could begin construction in 2026-27. Construction is expected to take two to three years to complete. Key elements of the design are outlined in the Notes to Editor.
Community Engagement
Codling Wind Park recently completed a third series of community exhibitions, engaging with local people and elected representatives, while providing news and information on the project. The engagement programme included events, exhibitions and dedicated information clinics across a two-month period earlier in the summer in Wicklow, Greystones and Sandymount.
The project will also establish a Community Benefit Fund (CBF) worth up to €200m to fund local community-based projects. The aim of the fund is to share the benefits of the development with local communities and deliver economic, environmental, social, and cultural benefits to local people and organisations over a twenty-year period. The Fund, one of the biggest anywhere in the world, will not become available until after the project has received planning and begun construction.
The full application can be viewed online at www.codlingwindparkplanningapplication.ie
Ends.
[1] In May 2020 the Government designated six offshore wind projects which had been in development for some time as ‘Relevant Projects’ in the context of the Maritime Area Planning Bill which was then being developed and is now enacted. These projects – including Codling Wind Park – are now called Phase One projects and will be prioritised through the new offshore consenting, grid and ORESS regimes in order to contribute to the delivery the Government target of 5GW of grid connected offshore wind by 2030.
2Figures calculated using SEAI data.
3Figures calculated using SEAI data.
Contact Information:
Kieran Garry
GPR Communications
Mobile: +353 87 2368366
Email: kierangarry@gprcomms.com
Notes to Editors
Key elements
The application’s key design elements include:
- Two design options for the wind array to be located on Codling Bank, a raised area of seabed between 13 and 22 km off the Wicklow coast (between Greystones and Wicklow town).
- Design option A – 60 turbines @ 314 metres tip height
- Design option B – 75 turbines @ 288 metres tip height
- Inter array cables connecting the turbines with three offshore substations located within the wind farm array area.
- Three underwater export cables – circa 40 – 50 Kms – connecting the offshore substations to landfall on the Poolbeg peninsula in Dublin Bay.
- An onshore substation and grid connection cables which will be located on the Poolbeg peninsula. This 220kv substation will be built on a site adjacent to Pigeon House Harbour, on the west side of the peninsula. The substation will prepare the electricity to the appropriate specifications for delivery to EirGrid’s substation at Poolbeg and thence to the national grid.
In addition to accessing planning documents online, copies of the application and all supporting documents can also be viewed for a period of eight weeks commencing on September 23rd, 2024, at the following office locations:
- The Offices of An Bord Pleanála, 64 Marlborough Street, Dublin 1, D01 V902
- Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, 2 Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire, A96 K6C9
- Dublin City Council, Civic Offices, Wood Quay, Dublin 8, D08 RF3F
- The Offices of Wicklow County Council, County Buildings, Whitegates, Wicklow Town, A67 FW96.
About Codling Wind Park
Codling Wind Park is a proposed offshore wind farm in the Irish Sea, approximately 13-22 kilometres off Greystones and Wicklow Towns on the Wicklow Coast. Codling Wind Park is a 50:50 joint venture between EDF Renewables and Fred. Olsen Seawind. With an expected capacity of 1,300 megawatts (MW), it has the potential to supply over one million Irish homes with low carbon, locally produced, low-cost electricity, and to save 1.7 million tonnes of carbon emissions every year.
About EDF Renewables Ireland
EDF Renewables Ireland is part of one of the world’s largest electricity companies and our investment and innovation in renewable energy projects is reducing costs for consumers and bringing significant benefits to communities. EDF Renewables Ireland’s team has a wealth of experience in bringing complex development projects to fruition, across onshore and offshore wind, solar PV and battery storage technology, and is supported by more than 600 colleagues in the UK.
In 2020 it acquired 50% of Codling Wind Park, a major offshore wind farm which will be located off the coast of Wicklow, and it has also entered into a 50:50 partnership to develop the Emerald and Western Star floating offshore wind farms, to be located off the coasts of Cork and Clare, respectively. Together, these three projects could power over two million homes across Ireland.
Last year it energised three of Ireland’s first grid-scale solar farms and announced plans for five onshore wind farms across Ireland. In total it has an Irish onshore development pipeline of almost 1GW. In the UK, EDF Renewables has an operating portfolio of 36 wind farms and two battery storage units (together totalling more than 1.5GW) and a development pipeline of 14GW across wind, solar and battery storage. EDF Renewables operates in more than 20 countries around the world. www.edf-re.ie
About Fred. Olsen Seawind
Fred. Olsen Seawind AS is an established offshore wind developer building on Fred. Olsen Renewables’ 25 years wind track record, market presence and portfolio. Fred. Olsen Renewables was involved in Codling from 1999 to 2022, when it was transferred to Fred. Olsen Seawind.
Utilising the extensive experience in Scotland gained through over 25 years of development, construction, and operation of onshore wind Fred. Olsen Seawind is committed to progressing offshore wind projects in Ireland, Norway and Scotland and is exploring opportunities in new markets. For further information visit www.fredolsenseawind.com
