Function
Development and project management covers the activities up to the point of final investment decision (FID) and managing the construction of the project through to commercial operations date (COD). This includes activities required to secure planning consents, such as the environmental impact assessment (EIA), and activities required to define the design and engineering aspects, and all aspects of project management.
Who is involved
The development and consenting stage is mostly managed by the wind farm developer, though under Ireland’s plan led system, site selection, as well as some surveying and data collection activities, are likely to be undertaken by the state. The developer will engage with relevant government bodies such as the Department for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for marine spatial planning and the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) for maritime area consenting.
Key facts
Ireland’s seabed leasing process was overhauled in 2021. The new regime is laid out in the Maritime Area Planning Act which aims to simplify the process.
For the maritime area beyond 3 nautical miles, seabed leases, or Maritime Area Consents (MAC), are awarded and managed by the MARA.
MACs give the developer exclusive or non-exclusive rights to occupy a maritime area but does not permit development, which is covered by permits obtained later. The MACs in ORESS Phase 1, awarded in December 2022, awarded the developer non-exclusive rights for 45 years. Other important aspects of the development process include securing land permissions for onshore substations and cable routes and engaging with the supply chain for procurement.
Onshore consent including the transmission cable landfall and associated onshore grid connection infrastructure is awarded by the relevant local planning authority.
Notable differences for floating
There are no major differences in the development and project management processes between floating offshore wind farms and fixed offshore wind farms. The environmental impacts can be different in some areas, for example floating mooring and anchoring systems are likely to have a different effect on marine ecosystems to fixed foundations due to their different footprints and installation methods.
