Enterprise Ireland has formally launched the Gael Offshore Network at its second Offshore Wind Forum at Croke Park.
The Gael Offshore Network has been established today (8 June 2022) by Enterprise Ireland to bring together and grow expertise in Offshore Wind in Ireland.
The cluster is made up of over 65 member companies.
“There are significant growth opportunities for Irish companies in the offshore wind space”
Just this week it emerged that more than one-third of Ireland’s energy meets are being met by wind energy, mostly from onshore resources. Wind Energy Ireland released its May Wind Energy report, which shows that wind energy provided 34% of Ireland’s electricity in May 2022, up 9% on May 2021 and that wind served 37% of the country’s energy needs since the start of the year.
Launched by Enterprise Ireland CEO, Leo Clancy, Gael Offshore Network member companies have expertise in areas including civil and marine engineering, geotechnical/geophysical capability, materials handling, environmental surveys and data collection, along with an innovative expertise in digital for offshore and associated cybersecurity.
Economic opportunities
The formation of the Gael Offshore Network is in recognition of the economic opportunities available to Irish companies in the offshore wind sector, as well as the climate imperatives to move to renewable energy.
The Offshore Wind Forum sees over 200 attendees from the Irish and UK offshore wind sector gathering for the two-day event at Croke Park. The event provides Irish companies the opportunity to hear from and meet with international developers including Orsted, SSE Renewables, ESB and RWE as well as with a range of established top tier contractors with a large global footprint in offshore wind.
The two-day event will also feature Irish SMEs showcasing their innovative capabilities and industry experience through a series of elevator pitches. Gael Offshore Network member companies have already secured several high value contracts, in the UK and other markets globally.
The UK is a key market for Irish companies on the offshore wind supply chain. The UK’s 2030 50-Gigawatt (GW) ambition represents a major opportunity for Irish companies. The opening day of the Enterprise Ireland hosted event will examine the opportunity that exists in the UK with high level industry speakers taking a close look at the UK’s industry ambition, investment, project pipelines and supply chain requirements.
The second day of the Offshore Wind Forum will focus on the Irish market with a keynote from Wind Energy Ireland. As domestic opportunities are beginning to emerge, attendees will receive updates on Ireland’s project timelines, locations, and procurement routes. The government’s Climate Action Plan outlines its ambition to produce 5GW of offshore wind energy by 2030.
“I am delighted to launch the Gael Offshore Network at Enterprise Ireland’s Offshore Wind Forum,” said Enterprise Ireland CEO Leo Clancy.
“There are significant growth opportunities for Irish companies in the offshore wind space. Irish companies have the innovative products and services to access the major opportunity that is evident in the UK but also at home in Ireland and further afield. The knowledge sharing and networking with global industry representatives at events such as this will help Irish companies to tap into current and future opportunities.”
To further position Irish companies to succeed in the UK market, Enterprise Ireland and the Gael Offshore Network will be hosting an Irish pavilion with some of its leading member companies at Global Offshore Wind 2022 in Manchester later this month.
