View Video Link to Shannon Foynes Port's investment

 

Shannon Foynes Port’s record investment to enhance Shannon Estuary as major international supply chain centre

 

• €32m investment will deliver infrastructure to position Foynes as global offshore renewable and logistics hubs
• New jetty infrastructure and one of Ireland’s largest port connected logistics parks another significant step in port company’s vision for enabling transformational growth for region
• Together with reinstated rail link and planned direct motorway/dual-carriageway access will decongest Ireland’s supply chain

 

Monday 2 September 2024:  Shannon Foynes Port has today unveiled a new jetty expansion and logistics park in a key step on the journey propelling Shannon Estuary as a national and international supply chain hub of scale.

 

The record €32m investment, which is co-funded by Shannon Foynes Port and the EU’s ‘Connecting Europe Facility’ (CEF), is a key enabler of the company’s Vison 2041 masterplan that targets the Estuary’s establishment as a global floating offshore wind hub and a freight logistics cluster that will, in particular, decongest the Irish supply chain network.

 

The two-year programme of works has delivered an additional 117m jetty, 12,000m2 of jetty set/down storage by linking the existing east and west jetties at Foynes Port. It has also delivered one of Ireland’s largest serviced, advanced port logistics parks nearby, a 38ha site with planning permission for 127,000ft already granted and with immediate potential for a further 400,000 sq ft of modern logistics warehousing to be developed. The expansion of the new port facilities was officially launched today in Foynes by James Lawless, TD, Minister of State at the Department of Transport with special responsibility for International and Road Transport and Logistics and by Patrick O’Donovan, TD, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. 

 

Speaking at the event, Minister Lawless said, “As an island nation our ports are crucial for economy, with 90% of Ireland’s traded goods passing through our ports. Shannon Foynes is one of our three Tier 1 ports in Ireland and has served this part of the island particularly well, but this expansion reflects both the ambition and opportunity of the port to deepen its impact significantly at a national level but also internationally in the area of offshore energy and logistics supply chain. 

 

“The works we are unveiling here are essentially enablers of this strategy and a key moment on a journey that is focused on a new and unprecedented era of economic growth for this region and, indeed, the entire island. This project is a crucial development in the regional development of our national economy. This is something I believe in passionately. I am a Minister for all of Ireland and I am proud to lead this opening as part of my ongoing agenda and itinerary where I am delighted to visit and open projects like this.”

 

Minister O’Donovan said, “This investment we are unveiling today is all about the future, about ensuring that we have the infrastructure in place not just in this region but in Ireland to create a future where economic growth and sustainability go hand in glove. Shannon Foynes Port has been planning for that future as far back as a decade ago with the launch of its masterplan Vision 2041 and a great thing about what we are unveiling today also is that it is a port authority that clearly delivers on its ambition.”

 

Shannon Foynes Port CEO Pat Keating said, “We’re building for the future here and we are effectively enabling the future here.  It’s a future that we all want for generations following us as we’re investing heavily in infrastructure that will do two things. One is to accelerate our journey as a nation to become a world leader in offshore renewable energy by harnessing our limitless wind energy capacity off the Atlantic seaboard. The second thing is that this same infrastructure will enhance our freight capacity massively by giving us extra quayside capacity and providing for one of the largest port logistics parks in the country.

 

“When you couple that with the investment by Irish Rail in reestablishing the rail link to Foynes and by government in the development of the new Limerick to Foynes road, which will give us motorway and dual-carriage way access direct to the port, we will have a Tier 1 port here that is amongst the most accessible in Europe. The net effect of that also is that we will now be within two and half hours of 75% of Ireland’s GDP. So, we not alone help power the economy, but we decongest it at the same time. That means business growth for this region, that means unprecedented access to freight goods for other regions and it also means decongestion of our capital city.”

 

Shannon Foynes Port Chairperson Michael Walsh said, “The opportunity ahead is unparalleled for Ireland thanks to the confluence of assets here on the Estuary. Its unrivalled deep waters, proximity to some of the most powerful winds in the world and soon to be radically enhanced multi-modal connectivity, means that we are on the cusp of something very significant here. You need a plan, and you need the people to make that happen and today confirms we at Shannon Foynes Port have both. This is one step on a journey that has some distance to go but one that I’ve every confidence will be travelled. Shannon Foynes Port has a key role in delivering this opportunity for Ireland.”

Video-link Awards Ceremony Video-link Watch as we revisit some of the excitement of the day from the attendees.  

Students ‘Shooting the Breeze’ as a sustainable new world from west coast wind is showcased in Shannon Foynes Port competition

 

Innovation, team-work and hard work of students stand out as eyes are opened wide to Shannon Estuary and west coast wind potential

Winning captain says we can make the future better with wind

Sunday 28 April 2024: The future is in safe hands and very much about sustainability, Shannon Foynes Port Chief Executive Pat Keating stated as he applauded students from across the Shannon Estuary for their vision for the future at the 4^th Compass schools competition final. Hosted at the newly renovated Foynes Flying Boat and Maritime Museum at the weekend, the competition, themed ‘Shooting the Breeze’, saw five schools shortlisted for the grand final set out their vision for a future entirely powered from renewable energy by harvesting our infinite wind supply off the west coast through floating wind energy. Some 250 plus attendees, including students and teachers, poured into the venue for the event as four finalists from Limerick – two from Salesian College Pallaskenry and one each from Ardscoil Ris and Laurel Hill Secondary School - battled it out with the sole Clare finalist, St Joseph’s Secondary School Spanish Point. And it was the most westerly school in the competition, St. Joseph’s Spanish Point, that walked away with the top prize and a €2,000 cheque for the school, a school facing right into the teeth of the very offshore winds that inspired the competition and that will drive Ireland’s transformation into an international renewable energy hub. The winning team members each received an iPad for their efforts and a Gold Commemorative Medal. Each of the runners up also received a silver medal and a days’ sailing on the Shannon Estuary sponsored by Foynes Yacht Club. The port authority organised biennial competition tasked TY students in counties Clare, Kerry and Limerick to envisage, through a short film and presentation, what realising the unprecedented renewable energy opportunity on the Shannon Estuary can do for the region and nation’s future. The status of the competition was also reflected by the attendance of two cabinet ministers Minister for Education Norma Foley and Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Patrick O’Donovan, as well as Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Niall Collins, Member of European Parliament Sean Kelly, Dail Deputies Richard O’Donoghue and Michael McNamara and Senator Ned O’Sullivan. Commenting following the announcement of the winner, Shannon Foynes Port CEO Pat Keating said that the participation rate amongst schools and students and the standard of presentations suggest that the competition objective of raising the awareness of the immense opportunities afforded by the Port Company and the Shannon Estuary is being achieved. “It’s hugely important that the wider public understands what the opportunity from the Shannon Estuary and offshore winds is and that includes our younger generation as it’s their future. The exciting piece is that their ambitions and ours, as the competition showed, are aligned around sustainability. So, this competition enables us to share with them that the world they want to emerge, a sustainable world, is a world that can be enabled by the Shannon Estuary becoming a truly international renewable energy hub.” Captain of the winning team Róisín Molohan said that the school was both delighted and surprised by the win and the experience had certainly heightened understanding of the immense offshore wind resource that the school looks out into every day. And she expressed the desire of all the participants in the event for offshore wind energy to be realized. “We're all very shocked. We saw the other teams’ presentations and they were all amazing so we're just we're so happy and we're so shocked that we won it.  But it's great and we're so happy because we worked really hard on it,” she said. “We weren't aware at all of the offshore wind opportunity. But this competition really opened our eyes. It's our kids and our grandchildren’s world that is going to be affected by this. So, we're just trying to make the world the best we possibly can. Whoever out there is responsible for making this happen, as young people, we want this to happen, and we need it to happen.” Education Minister Norma Foley said that competition reflects the wishes of young people today. “I think the Shannon Estuary is a magnificent backdrop for today's competition. The competition is very much focused on an opportunity for young people to appreciate the potential of the ports here. These young people are beacons if you like. Not just for today, but for tomorrow and generations to come. So, as we hear their voice today, I urge people to listen to their voice. It is a voice of truth and honesty and investment into the future,” she said. Minister for Higher Education Patrick O’Donovan said great credit is due to the Shannon Foynes Port Company for running the competition. “In my role now as Minister for Further and Higher Education, what I am trying to encourage young people to do is to look at alternatives to the traditional route into third level. There's no doubt about it, but here in the southwest of Ireland, the big opportunity will be in the capturing of the energy that's out in the North Atlantic,” he said. Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Niall Collins noted that it was “future of our country talking about the future of our country”.  He said, “This is a really great day because it's allowing our students to tell us exactly what they want for their future. The younger generation absolutely want to see the Shannon Estuary turning green. They want the West Coast offshore energy projects. This is exactly what the younger generations want.” Chairman of the Judging Panel, Shannon Foynes Port Harbour Master Michael Kennelly said that the panel was struck by the understanding of the students around the floating offshore wind opportunity. “I think that it was evident that the students certainly now have a great understanding, if they didn’t have before the competition, of what the potential is from the estuary, from offshore wind and, indeed, the opportunity from all of this for their future. It really was an excellent event and we were so impressed with the innovation shown by the schools, their imagination and their teamwork, which was something we were certainly looking out for.” The judging panel also included Assistant Engineer at Shannon Foynes Port Tom Treacy, CEO of Shannon Chamber Helen Downes; CEO of Tralee Chamber Colette O’Connor, Skillnet Manager at Limerick Chamber Michael MacCurtain and Theatre Producer, Film/TV Co-Ordinator and Arts Consultant Marketa Dowling. The student were also treated to an inspirational questions and answers session, compered by MC Seamus Hennessy, with Irish hockey star Róisín Upton, Performance Psychologist with Limerick Hurling Academy and Lecturer on Psychology of Exam Preparation & Performance Pat McCarthy, and Kerry footballer Jason Foley. Shannon Foynes Port partnered on this year’s competition with the Hunt Museum, leveraging off its 'Nights Candles are Burnt Out' exhibition, which charts the previous renewable energy revolution off the Shannon system via the development almost a century ago of the Shannon Hydroelectric Scheme at Ardnacrusha.

  Europe’s largest port Rotterdam and Shannon Foynes to explore development of European green fuels supply chain corridor Agreement signed for maximizing limitless renewable energy generation of Ireland’s west coast and Rotterdam’s supply chain expertise Wind resource off the west coast of Ireland is in excess of 80GW of green electricity, over ten times Ireland’s current national requirement Monday, 29 January 2024: Ireland’s largest bulk port Shannon Foynes and the Port of Rotterdam – Europe’s largest port - have signed an agreement with a view to developing a supply-chain corridor for exporting green fuels into Europe produced from the west of Ireland’s limitless wind resource. The agreement will focus on market and trade development for vast volumes of green hydrogen and its derivatives produced at the planned international green energy hub on the Shannon Estuary. The Memorandum of Understanding signed by the ports identifies significant and identified scale-up volumes of Green Hydrogen commencing with proof-of-concept volumes by 2030. Europe’s overall green hydrogen strategy for 2030 is to import 10 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen by 2030 for use in heavy industry and transport sectors that are traditionally reliant on coal, natural gas, and oil. The Port of Rotterdam intends to facilitate volumes of 40 million tonnes from across the world by 2050, a significant proportion of which can come from the Atlantic resource. Further opportunities will also be explored under the MOU, including building coalitions with interested and suitable commercial parties and adding other parties to the MOU to help achieve a joint supply chain process for delivering the first proof-of-concept volumes before 2030. The MOU also provides for engaging relevant public stakeholders to support the initiative and sharing of information regarding the potential supply of green hydrogen and green hydrogen derivatives, such as green ammonia, green methanol, etc, as well as sharing best practice information on areas such as desalination, high voltage electricity, industrial clustering around the H2 molecule and green ship bunkering processes. The two ports will also potentially work together on market development in this new market and jointly finding final off-takers for supplies from Ireland. These would include maritime fuels sector, sustainable aviation fuels, green fertilizer and facilities with direct green hydrogen fuel requirements such as the steel industry. Mr. René van der Plas, Director International at the Port of Rotterdam said, “The port of Rotterdam is already Europe’s leading energy hub and recognises the significance and opportunity for all European citizens and industries arising from the Green Transition. To that end, hydrogen is one of our priorities and we are working hard towards establishing infrastructure, facilities and partnerships that will help deliver on this. “This agreement with Shannon Foynes Port is one such partnership and can support our efforts to set up supply chain corridors for the import of Green Hydrogen into north-west Europe from countries elsewhere with high potential for green and low carbon hydrogen production. Shannon Foynes Port is an ideal partner in that respect.” Mr Patrick Keating, CEO of Shannon Foynes Port Company said, “With the largest wind resource in Europe off our west coast, we have the opportunity to become Europe’s leading renewable energy generation hub. That will deliver transformational change for Ireland in terms of energy independence and an unprecedented economic gain in the process. In delivering on this, too, we can make our biggest ever contribution to the European project as we become a very significant contributor to REPowerEU, Europe’s plan to end reliance on fossil fuels. “We can produce an infinite supply of renewable energy here and there are already a number of routes to market emerging for that energy. One such route to market is the development of a supply chain into Europe. This agreement with the Port of Rotterdam is a key step towards enabling that. The port of Rotterdam already works on introducing the fuels and feedstocks of the future with major oil and gas companies and its broader port community of over 3,000 commercial companies. It can be a key supply chain corridor for exporting green fuels from the Shannon Estuary into Europe. This is very significant recognition and validation of the potential for hydrogen production generated in Ireland to be exported into Europe.” Mr. Brendan Rogers, Ambassador of Ireland to the Netherlands said, “What a great day as two major ports Rotterdam and Shannon Foynes sign an MOU to cooperate on green hydrogen, one of the key sustainable fuels for a carbon-free and renewable energy future for Ireland, the Netherlands and Europe.” Ends     About Port of Rotterdam The port of Rotterdam is a cornerstone of the Dutch and European transport and economic systems. In addition to the significant economic and social value the port holds in the Rotterdam-Rijnmond region, it also benefits the logistics sector and businesses that import and export in the rest of the Netherlands and Europe through employment, added value, revenue and business locations.   Facts and figures from the Port of Rotterdam Authority and the port of Rotterdam (2022): Port of Rotterdam Authority: approximately 1,300 employees, revenue approximately €825 million and gross investments €257 million. Port area: 12,500 ha of port area (land and water, of which over 6,000 ha is industrial sites). Length of the port area: over 40 km. Cargo throughput: approximately 467 million tonnes of freight a year. Shipping: approximately 30,000 seagoing vessels and 100,000 inland vessels annually. Employment: 193,000 jobs (directly and indirectly). Added value: €30.6 billion, 3.2% of the Dutch gross domestic product (GDP). The port of Rotterdam generates over 500,000 jobs and provides an added value of over €60 billion for the Netherlands.   About Shannon Foynes Port Company Shannon Foynes Port Company, Ireland’s deepest sheltered commercial harbour and largest bulk port company, has statutory jurisdiction over all marine activities on a 500km2 area on the Shannon Estuary, stretching from Kerry to Loop Head to Limerick City.  Due to the Port’s location proximate to the Atlantic wind resource, considered the best in the world, and its plans to introduce new services that could assist in decarbonising the supply chain, the Port has a significant role to play in the Government’s Climate Action Plan about energy generation and transport.  The Shannon Estuary – with depths of up to 32m and a handling capacity for large vessels up to 200,000 deadweight tonnes, is among the deepest ports in Europe – providing Shannon Foynes Port Company, its customers and investors with a natural advantage and opportunity.   Shannon Foynes Port Company is an EU Core Network Port (TEN-T) and a Tier 1 Port in the National Ports Policy, effectively designating the Shannon Estuary as a commercial water course of international significance.

 

Mid-West TY students will be ‘Shooting the Breeze’ in short-film competition on the Shannon Estuary as an international renewable energy hub.

  Shannon Foynes Port COMPASS competition, supported by Hunt Museum, returns to deepen awareness of estuary opportunity. Friday, 19 January 2024: TY students across the Mid-West are being given an opportunity, in the return of the Shannon Foynes Port Company Compass schools competition, to have their say on our future by visualising the transformational potential of the Shannon Estuary as a global renewable energy hub in the decades ahead. Organised by the port authority, the biennial competition will be an opportunity for TY students in counties Clare, Kerry and Limerick to create a short film that predicts what realising the unprecedented renewable energy opportunity on the Shannon Estuary will do for the region and nation. Themed ‘Shooting the Breeze’, the competition returns for the first time since pre-COVID and has a top prize of €2,000 for the winning school. Students create a film of a maximum duration of seven minutes that will focus on the impact of wind power, what it will deliver in terms of sustainability and the downstream economic opportunities as the Shannon Estuary becomes the production hub for Ireland’s estimated 80GW of offshore wind – ten times our domestic requirement - waiting to be tapped off the Atlantic seaboard. Shannon Foynes Port is partnering on this year’s competition with the Hunt Museum, leveraging off its 'Nights Candles are Burnt Out' exhibition, which charts the previous renewable energy revolution of the Shannon system via the development almost a century ago of the Shannon Hydroelectric Scheme at Ardnacrusha. Students will get ample inspiration and insight for their film by visiting the captivating exhibition, which is free to all schools participating in 'Shooting the Breeze'. Information Packs and Entry Forms for the competition are available from eadams@sfpc.ie; telephone 069 73102. Entry forms must be returned by 31st January 2024, with a further eight weeks for the TY teams to create their short-film, which must be submitted by March 21^st 2024.  The five Best Film Nominations will be announced on April 8^th, with the chosen teams presenting their films at the Gala Awards Event in the Foynes Flying Boat & Maritime Museum on April 26^th. Shannon Foynes Port Chief Executive Pat Keating said: “COMPASS has been a great instrument for growing awareness among the youth of the region of the opportunity for the Shannon Estuary to become an international renewable energy generation hub. Participating schools have found it beneficial in terms of gaining awareness of our unique opportunity in this region to lead Ireland’s and influence Europe’s green transition, but they have really enjoyed the process. So, we would encourage as many as possible to enter. Our partnership with the Hunt Museum is an extra attraction as students visiting the exhibition will get plenty of inspiration and insight from it for their short film.” Mr Keating added: “Returning this year with the competition is particularly timely following the publication last year of the Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce report, which sets out just why the Shannon Estuary can become the green digital powerhouse for the country and export huge volumes of renewable energy to Europe. This is a cue for these young film makers and I’ve no doubt that this will be a project they will be passionate about given this generation’s focus on and demand for the sustainable future that the Estuary can deliver.” Sinead Hutchison, Exhibition & Events Manager at Hunt Museum, said, “We’re delighted to partner with Shannon Foynes Port on Shooting the Breeze.  This is all about the future but learnings from the past can certainly inspire the future and museums are enablers of that. What happened on the Shannon system here almost 100 years ago, which is the subject of our Nights Candles are Burnt Out exhibition, with Ardnacrusha is not just inspiration for the students participating in this competition but is an inspiration to everyone, including government, to go after today’s opportunity on the Shannon Estuary. Ardnacrusha was one of the top engineering feats in the world in its day, was what the Hoover Dam in the US was modelled on and yet this was committed to and developed in the very early years of our state. If we replicate that courage today, it will bring us to a whole new and better world tomorrow and that’s what this competition will showcase.” A panel of independent judges will adjudicate on the film submissions and pay particular attention to creativity, knowledge, ingenuity and presentation of the outcomes. Evidence of teamwork is also essential. In addition to the €2,000 for their school, the winning team will also receive the coveted COMPASS Trophy. Each team member also receives an iPad & Commemorative Medal. The runner up prizes for each of the five teams are Commemorative Medals and Sailing Day at Foynes Yacht Club.  

 

Shannon Foynes Port Company hosting Five Days of Events for the Annual Irish Port Safety Week

 

Shannon Foynes Port Company hosting Five Days of Events for the Annual Irish Port Safety Week

 

RTE NATIONWIDE FOYNES PROGRAMME

 

Click to view Nationwide Programme on Foynes

 

ESB and Shannon Foynes Port announce support for floating offshore wind research at UCC

  Starting in September, the focus of the research will be to examine the requirements and identify potential sites for wet storage, which is the temporary offshore storage of floating offshore wind turbines in suitable areas prior to installation. This is a key requirement for facilitating floating offshore wind, which will be a fundamental technology in Ireland reaching its offshore renewable targets. The research will take place over two phases. The first phase will consist of understanding the key conditions and constraints associated with the development and identification of suitable wet storage sites, while phase two will focus on the technical challenges of designing sites in terms of the optimum layout and mooring configuration. The aim of the study is to identify and inform considerations for the future FLOW industry that are required at an economic, environmental, societal and policy level in Ireland and also, to set a benchmark for best international practice through close academic and industry collaboration. Ronan O’Flynn, ESB Programme Director for Green Atlantic @ Moneypoint, said: “We understand the importance that floating offshore wind projects are going to play in both Ireland achieving its ambitious renewable energy targets and ESB delivering on our commitment to reach net zero by 2040. Research such as this, carried out by our partners MaREI and supported by Shannon Foynes Port, will help the entire industry to better understand what is required for crucial wet storage facilities that will allow floating offshore wind projects to be delivered at scale.” Pat Keating, CEO at Shannon Foynes Port, said: “Our partnership with the ESB on funding this research will help underpin understanding in the key area of wet storage, in which Shannon Estuary will be a major provider of as we go about harvesting the unprecedented opportunity for not just our region and state arising from floating offshore wind. Because of the estuary’s existing deepwater ports at Foynes and Moneypoint, wet storage space and available land for large-scale industrial development, we are one of few locations in Europe that can manufacture floating turbines at the scale necessary for commercialisation.” Dr Jimmy Murphy, Funded Investigator in MaREI and Senior Lecturer in the School of Engineering in UCC, said: “This project will be an important enabler for the emerging floating wind energy sector in Ireland and will allow strategic planning decisions to be made related to the efficient deployment of floating windfarms. MaREI has a track record of research and development in floating wind and welcomes this collaboration with ESB and Shannon Foynes Port to address the challenge of identifying potential wetstorage locations and optimising design layout.” Ireland's offshore wind energy potential arising from our Atlantic seaboard winds is among Europe’s leading renewable energy opportunities. With a maritime area more than seven times the size of its landmass, ideal wind conditions, and strategic location on the Atlantic Ocean's edge, floating offshore wind generation can deliver up to 30 gigawatts of energy by 2050 – six times more than current domestic electricity demand. MaREI will provide the research expertise along with the various tools required for the study which is aligned with their core research principles. ESB and Shannon Foynes Port will provide funding support and industry knowledge for the study which is in line with ESB’s Net Zero by 2040 strategy and Shannon Foynes Port’s Vision 2041 masterplan.

Link to Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce Report

The report was launched by An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, Eamonn Ryan (Minister for Transport), Simon Coveney (Minister for Enterprise & Trade) and Norma Foley (Minister for Education).   View Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce Report MP4 video commissioned by DETE