Critical Milestone Achieved For Arklow Bank Wind Park Phase 2

The Arklow Bank Wind Park Phase 2 offshore wind project has reached another key milestone as planning permission has been granted for the development of a state-of-the-art Operations and Maintenance Facility in Arklow Harbour.

Approval has been secured by SSE Renewables from Wicklow County Council in relation to the operations base proposed for South Dock.

The decision will help contribute to a significant regeneration of the Arklow townsite known as The Old Shipyard.

Once operational, the facility will serve as the onshore support base used to control, operate and maintain the offshore wind farm during its operational lifetime.

It will accommodate around 80 long-term direct, local jobs during the operation of the offshore wind farm which will include site managers, supervisors, technicians, vessel crew, control room operators and engineers.

Hundreds more jobs will be created and sustained during the construction phase of the operations base and the wider wind farm project.

The four-storey Nearly Zero Energy Building will also feature a Sustainable Education Centre on its top floor which will complement Arklow’s Decarbonisation Zone status.

The Sustainable Education Centre will act as a link between the offshore wind farm and the local community and will have the capacity to accommodate exhibitions, guided tours and sustainability-themed events.

Within the South Dock, designated quayside and berth facilities will be constructed to accommodate four crew transfer vessels (CTVs) and a pontoon system will be installed to provide for safe boarding, loading and unloading of CTVs.

SSE Renewables is the first offshore wind energy developer to secure planning permission in Ireland to develop an operations and maintenance facility for an associated wind farm project.