Northern Ireland energy experts visit first floating wind turbines as plans for Irish sea gather pace

A Northern Ireland delegation of energy experts from the Department for the Economy, NIE, SONI and the private sector have made a trip 17km offshore from Marseille to see the Mediterranean’s first three floating wind turbines.

The flotation platforms for the turbines are designed and built by SBM Offshore, the marine engineering company developing the proposed North Channel Wind project in the Irish Sea.

The project has a potential electrical capacity of 1GW, making a substantial contribution to NI’s renewable electricity and carbon reduction ambitions.

North Channel Wind project director Niamh Kenny says the visit was critical in terms of displaying the realities of floating offshore technologies: “We can explain how an array of floating turbines works and what they look like through presentations and exhibitions, CGI videos and lectures, but to see the real thing up close means we have a very clear perception of how they will blend into the Irish Sea scape.”

The delegation also heard firsthand from members of the engineering team who designed and built the floating platforms.

According to officials, plans for North Channel Wind continue apace. Digital Aerial Surveys, which create a baseline for seabirds and marine mammals, have been conducted over the past two years and will be completed in September.

The North Channel Wind team have also embarked on an extensive stakeholder engagement process, including the fishing industry, coastal communities, environmental groups and other relevant stakeholders, which will continue and develop as the project progresses.

North Channel Wind will join Renewable NI and other developers at the end of the summer in the Long Gallery of Stormont Buildings to present to MLAs and invited guests the benefits of offshore wind to the NI economy and supply chain, its significance in our move to net zero emissions and the positive impact it will have on job creation.