THE Shannon Foynes Port Company (SFPC) has joined forces with two of Europe’s biggest floating offshore wind ports – Associated British Ports (ABP), the UK’s leading ports group, and Brestport, who manage the commercial port of Brest in France.
The move is being made in an effort to create a global alliance aimed at unlocking the transformational potential of the sector, a statement from SFPC said. Together, the three groups will become founding members in establishing the first Global Floating Offshore Wind Ports Alliance (FLOW Ports Alliance).
This is hoped to bring together major floating offshore wind ports across the world to create a global collaboration platform for sharing best practice in standardise design, exchange operational experience and promote innovation.
Pat Keating, chief executive of Shannon Foynes Port Company, said: “The creation of the FLOW Ports Alliance marks a pivotal moment for the future of floating offshore wind and for the Shannon Estuary’s role in it.”
“With our natural deep-water advantages, strategic and low-lying shoreside landbanks, and a plan-led investment pathway aligned to national and European policy, Shannon Foynes Port Company is Ireland’s clearest candidate to serve as the national floating offshore wind hub — and a competitive player at European scale,” Mr Keating added.
The alliance was officially launched at RenewableUK’s Floating Offshore Wind Conference in Aberdeen, bringing together major European ports that are central to the delivery of clean-energy technology.
FLOW Ports Alliance will initially focus on recruiting ports across Europe to collaborate on the design, planning and operation of the next generation of offshore wind facilities.
The group aims to strengthen knowledge-sharing between ports, ensuring that lessons from early demonstration projects can accelerate scalable, cost-effective infrastructure development across the industry.
With its deep, sheltered waters, extensive low-lying landbanks and direct proximity to world-class Atlantic wind resources, SFPC said, the Shannon Estuary is uniquely positioned to become Ireland’s primary — and one of Europe’s leading — assembly, staging and O&M hubs for floating offshore wind.