Belfast Harbour has handed over its new £50 million offshore wind terminal to DONG Energy and Scottish Power Renewables. The terminal, the first purpose-built offshore wind installation and pre-assembly harbour in the UK or Ireland, will be used as a hub to help service a market valued in excess of £100 billion. Up to 300 jobs are expected to be created, ranging from welders to electricians and engineers.
DONG Energy has signed a lease for the terminal which will be used initially to support the development of the West of Duddon Sands Wind Farm in the Irish Sea, a joint venture between Scottish Power Renewables and DONG Energy. Work on the wind farm has already started and Belfast Harbour has received its first shipment of wind farm components. It is anticipated that the first turbines will depart Belfast this summer for erection at the site.
The 50-acre terminal, located on the County Down side of the Port, is the largest single investment in Belfast Harbour’s 400-year history. Built by local construction company Farrans, the project took 15-months, 750,000 man hours, one million tonnes of stones and 30,000 tonnes of concrete to complete
The 200,000 sq m facility, large enough to accommodate 30 football pitches, includes a 480 m deep-water quayside. Up to three vessels will be able to berth simultaneously with access available around the clock.
Brent Cheshire, DONG Energy’s UK Country Chairman comments: “Having a bespoke facility at our fingertips will help us plan our offshore construction very effectively and help with our work to lower the cost of offshore wind farms. The site is in an excellent strategic position for DONG Energy as we have several wind farms under development in the Irish Sea. This is a port that can handle the large number of huge pieces of equipment required.”
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Pictured at the official handover were: Northern Ireland’s First and Deputy First Ministers, Peter Robinson MLA and Martin McGuinness MLA; Charles Jordan, Project Director, Scottish Power Renewables; Len O’Hagan, Belfast Harbour’s Chairman; and Brent Cheshire, DONG Energy’s UK Country Chairman.