Dublin Array seeks permit for offshore surveys

RWE Renewables Ireland has applied for a licence to carry out further marine surveys at the site of the proposed Dublin Array wind farm off the coast of County Dublin and County Wicklow in Ireland.

The application for a Foreshore Licence has been made to Ireland’s Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and is open to public submissions until 17.30 on 17 December.

The licence will allow the Dublin Array team to carry out marine geophysical, geotechnical, and ecological surveys.

These will help determine the detailed design of the proposed wind farm and the optimal construction approach.

Dublin Array is a 50-50 joint venture undertaking between RWE Renewables and Saorgus Energy Ltd. Initially solely owned by Saorgus Energy, the project has been under development since 1999.

Located on the Kish and Bray Banks, ten kilometres from the coastline of Dublin, the wind farm will comprise between 45 and 61 wind turbines with an individual capacity of between 8 MW and 15 MW. The total project capacity will be between 600 MW and 900 MW.

The proposed wind farm will produce enough energy to supply up to approximately 840,000 homes at peak production, RWE said.

The Dublin Array project team is hoping to finalise the planning stage design of the project in 2022. As part of this process the team plan to hold another phase of public consultation.

After this, a development consent application will be submitted, most likely towards the end of 2022 and subject to the proposed new planning system under the Maritime Area Planning legislation being in place at that time.

The developers plan to submit their bid in the Offshore Renewable Energy Support Scheme (O-RESS) auction in the fourth quarter of 2022, reach financial close in 2024, and have the wind farm operational by 2027.

The project’s capital investment is expected to be over €1 billion.