SSE Renewables is holding public consultations in the South Wicklow and North Wexford areas in Ireland for the Arklow Bank Phase 2 offshore wind project.
During the consultations held from 14 October to 11 November, the public will be able to provide feedback on the offshore infrastructure and onshore grid infrastructure elements of the project.
The feedback will help inform the plans for the overall project, in particular two separate applications which will allow it to proceed.
The first application will likely be to An Bord Pleanála (ABP) for the onshore grid infrastructure, while the second is to the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (DHPLG), requesting permission to construct the offshore infrastructure.
In 2021, SSE plans to submit an application to Wicklow County Council for planning permission for the onshore elements, and an application to DHPLG for marine elements of the proposed operations and maintenance facility to be developed at Arklow Harbour’s South Dock.
Before that, the company will launch a separate consultation process to get feedback on the O&M facility and to refine its plans prior to submitting the final planning applications.
The Arklow Bank Wind Park Phase 2, located off the East Coast of County Wicklow in the Irish Sea, has a consented minimum installed capacity of 520 MW. It is planned to be built by 2025.
SSE also co-developed the 7-turbine 25 MW Arklow Bank Phase 1 with GE Energy in 2004 as a demonstrator project to prove the opportunity that offshore wind energy could represent for Ireland. The Arklow Bank Phase 1 is Ireland’s first and only operating offshore wind farm.