A €28 million investment by the Shannon Foynes Port Company in jetty infrastructure and a port logistics park is part of a broader plan to transform the Shannon Estuary into a major international renewable energy hub.
The record investment, which is fully and co-funded by Shannon Foynes Port Company and the EU’s ‘Connecting Europe Facility’, will include a significant expansion of quayside area through the joining and infilling of two existing jetties.
The project will also involve the development of one of the country’s largest logistics buildings.
The 127,000 sq ft facility will be the key element in a new 38 hectares port logistics park that will have the potential for a future 400,000 sq ft of modern logistics warehousing over the next 15 years.
Planning permission and foreshore consents for the developments, which amount to the largest ever financial commitment in civil works by the port company, have been secured, with work already underway on the new jetty and associated set down area following construction procurement.
Work on the logistics park will start this autumn, with all construction work scheduled for completion in the first half of 2024.
Shannon Foynes Port Company Chief Executive Pat Keating said the investment lays the foundation for further required scalable capacity investments to accommodate growth in both the offshore renewable sector and the transport sector.
“Our objective to be the supply chain facilitator for an Atlantic floating offshore wind energy hub and related hydrogen production will be transformational in terms of our climate action targets, our national economy and energy security.
“We have some of the most consistent winds in the world off the west coast, the technology now in place to harness those winds through floating offshore wind. The Shannon Estuary also has the deep and sheltered waters necessary to build the floating devices before they are brought out into open ocean waters.
The world’s leading players in this space want to invest here and leading nations, such as Germany, want the green hydrogen we can generate from this almost limitless renewable energy.
A study commissioned by the Port Company found that up to €12 billion in associated supply chain investment could be located on the Shannon Estuary by 2050, with an opportunity to create up to 30,000 jobs.
Engineering and Port Services Manager John Carlton said the new logistics park will be a game changer for bulk and container goods in Ireland.
“Developing modern logistics facilities in Foynes provides new logistics solutions for the western half of the country, offering more efficient and sustainable market access for importers and exporters by reducing the ton per kilometer travelled.”
