UK, French, and Irish Ports Join Hands in Global Floating Wind Collaboration

The UK’s Associated British Ports (ABP) has teamed up with France’s BrestPort and Ireland’s Shannon Foynes Port to establish the Global Floating Offshore Wind Ports Alliance (FLOW Ports Alliance) to help bring together major floating offshore wind ports across the world and unlock the technology’s full potential.

The FLOW Ports Alliance aims to recruit ports in Europe to collaborate on FLOW port design, standardisation, and best operational practices.

It plans to strengthen and accelerate compliant knowledge and experience exchange between ports, share best practices as they emerge through demonstration projects, and share innovations to the benefit of the global FLOW network.

“At ABP, we believe that one of the biggest clean energy opportunities for the UK is the development of Floating Offshore Wind. This is because floating turbines allow for deployment farther from shore, overcoming the depth limitations of fixed-bottom foundations. We see the Celtic Sea and Scotland as key UK sites for floating offshore wind with our plans in Port Talbot in Wales and the ABP Cromarty Firth Energy Park in Scotland,” said Andy Reay, ABP Group Head of Offshore Wind.

In the Celtic Sea, ABP is progressing plans to invest more than GBP 500 million in new and repurposed infrastructure at Port Talbot to create a hub for floating wind.

The Brittany region in France has committed EUR 250 million to the construction of the polder for its Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Terminal. This project offers wind energy customers access to a 400-metre-long quay dedicated to heavy-lift operations and more than 50 hectares of surface area. The terminal, which is already partially operational, is expected to be completed by 2027.

“Our commitment to the sector is reflected in our plans to invest EUR 900 million in developments heavily focusing on the energy transition, including establishing the Port of Brest as a major player in floating wind,” said Arnaud Le Roy, ORE Terminal Development Manager at BrestPort.

Shannon Foynes Port Company has statutory responsibility for the maritime management of the 500-square-kilometre Shannon Estuary.

According to the Irish government’s report, the estuary has an identified pathway of up to 30 GW of Atlantic offshore wind delivered through the estuary by 2050.

“With natural deep water, strategic and low-lying shoreside landbanks, and a plan-led investment path aligned to national and European policy, Shannon Foynes Port Company is Ireland’s clearest candidate to serve as the national floating offshore wind hub and a competitive player at European scale,” said Pat Keating, Chief Executive of Shannon Foynes Port Company.

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