£100m ‘global players’ wind farm deal to create 300 jobs

48 minutes ago

Catherine MooreBBC News NI

Belfast Harbour A shot from above of Belfast Harbour. There is water in the middle and land on either side. Two yellow cranes are visible in the distance. There is a cruise ship in the middle of the harbour and a Stena Line ferry on the right. There are also smaller boats.

A £100m deal which will create about 300 jobs has been agreed between the developers of two Irish Sea offshore wind farms and Belfast Harbour.

The joint developers of the Mona and Morgan offshore wind farms will lease Belfast Harbour’s D1 terminal for the assembly and preparation of wind turbine components.

Work is being carried out to get the site ready for use from 2028.

Joe O’Neill, chief executive of Belfast Harbour, described it as a “huge deal”, not just for the harbour but for Belfast and the wider region.

“It’s global players coming to Belfast,” he said.

“We’re delighted we’re able to provide the facilities for them and then the wider region gets the benefits in terms of economic benefits, jobs created and ultimately delivery of clean energy for up to three million homes.”

He added that Belfast Harbour is the only port on the island of Ireland with offshore wind capabilities.

Press Eye A man in a blue suit with a blue and yellow patterned tie. He is wearing a white shirt.

The offshore wind farms are two of the biggest planned in the Irish Sea.

One will be built between Morecambe in north west England and the Isle of Man, while the other will be located off the north Wales coast.

Once they are operational they could deliver up to 3GW – enough electricity to power around three million UK households.

The new jobs are expected to involve the marshalling and handling of large wind turbine components and pre-assembly work on turbines and blades.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the project was helping to “bring about the clean power revolution”, while also creating “skilled, well-paid jobs”.

He made the comments as he reaffirmed the UK government’s commitment to renewable energy and net zero targets ahead of next week’s Cop30 global summit.

Clean energy transition

EnBW, a German energy company, and JERA Nex bp, an offshore wind company based in London, are behind Mona and Morgan.

JERA Nex bp’s chief executive Nathalie Oosterlinck said the deal was a “direct contribution to the infrastructure needed to drive the energy transition”.

“This highlights the power of collaboration in driving energy security – the offshore wind industry can not only power millions of homes with clean, homegrown energy but also support job creation and local economic growth.”

Michael Class, a senior vice president at EnBW, said it was a “milestone commitment”.

“We are optimistic about fostering a long-lasting partnership between Germany, the UK and Northern Ireland,” he added.

‘A fundamental role’

The harbour reinvests all profits back into the port and the deal will help fund a new £90m dual-purpose cruise and offshore wind site.

It will also help to pay for works to further reinforce the terminal to handle the next generation of offshore wind turbines, whose components can weigh more than 1,000 tonnes.

The new terminal will be able to accommodate some of the world’s largest cruise vessels. It will involve a new dual-purpose quay and deep water berth, targeted for completion in 2027.

Mr O’Neill said the project is both a “boost for clean energy generation” and “positioning [the] cruise business for further growth”.

“Ports will play a fundamental role in the transition to clean energy particularly for the delivery of offshore windfarms,” he added.

“There is very limited port capacity to contribute to the transition to offshore wind, clean energy,” Mr O’Neill added.

“We’re just delighted we’ve through good forethought had the investment in place already to be able to accommodate this project and then hopefully follow on projects.”

Analysis: Not an investment in renewable power for NI

Louise CullenBBC News NI’s Agriculture and environment correspondent

Belfast has a reputation for supporting this sector in manufacturing and engineering terms.

The investment in the dedicated offshore terminal shows where the Harbour thinks at least some of its future growth is going to come from.

And they’re right – offshore wind power will be a key element of meeting our Net Zero targets and the industry is experiencing significant growth globally.

Work is continuing to make offshore wind power part of the future picture, but any plans are at the mercy of the Crown estate which owns the seabed and periodically holds auctions to lease parts of it for such projects.

But while this investment will bring jobs to Belfast, it is not an investment in renewable power for Northern Ireland.