Codling Wind Park Export

Codling Wind Park’s planning documents submitted to An Bord Pleanála describe a “Phase 3 Public Engagement and Feedback” running from 15 April to 30 May 2024, which corresponds to the third phase of public consultation on the project’s final proposals prior to the development consent application.

On 11 January 2023 Codling Wind Park opened its second phase of pre-planning public consultation, running for four weeks until 8 February 2023, to gather feedback on updated offshore and onshore proposals including the offshore export cable corridor, landfall at the southern Poolbeg Peninsula, onshore export cable route options and the new onshore substation near EirGrid’s Poolbeg 220 kV substation. Exhibition materials explained the proposed three-cable export corridor, landfall works in Dublin Bay, onshore cable routing across the Poolbeg peninsula, and the Poolbeg onshore substation required to transmit Codling Wind Park’s power into the national grid.

By January 2023, Codling Wind Park had completed an initial onshore cable route assessment for the Poolbeg grid connection, evaluating six potential underground cable route options from the Poolbeg landfall to the proposed onshore substation. These options were assessed against technical, economic, environmental, deliverability and socio-economic criteria, with the aim of minimising disruption to local communities and conflicts with existing utilities on the Poolbeg peninsula.

In 2022, responsibility for Codling Wind Park within the Fred. Olsen group was transferred from Fred. Olsen Renewables, which had been involved in the project since 1999, to Fred. Olsen Seawind. After this internal transfer, Fred. Olsen Seawind is described as the dedicated offshore wind developer and 50% owner of Codling Wind Park alongside EDF Renewables.

In December 2022 the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications granted Codling Wind Park a Maritime Area Consent (MAC), giving the project the legal right to occupy a specified part of the maritime area on Codling Bank for the offshore wind farm and associated offshore transmission infrastructure, including three offshore substations and their export cables towards Poolbeg. This MAC formed part of Ireland’s Phase One consenting process and was required before Codling could lodge its planning application covering both the offshore and onshore elements of the Codling–Poolbeg export connection.

Following around two years of engagement with transmission system operator EirGrid, the Codling Wind Park developers obtained formal confirmation in November 2022 that the project’s grid connection point will be at Poolbeg in Dublin, with a maximum export capacity of 1,450 MW. This Grid Connection Assessment outcome effectively secures the grid connection location and capacity for the Codling–Poolbeg 220 kV export system, enabling detailed design of the export cable route and associated onshore substation works and allowing the project to participate in the ORESS support scheme.

In June 2022 Codling Wind Park submitted an application to the Government of Ireland for a Maritime Area Consent (MAC), a statutory right to occupy a defined area of the maritime zone needed for the offshore wind farm and its offshore transmission infrastructure, including offshore substations and export cable routes from Codling Bank towards Poolbeg. Securing MAC was identified by the project as a prerequisite to participating in the ORESS auction and subsequently applying for development permission to An Bord Pleanála.

G-tec successfully completed an extensive geophysical survey campaign on the potential export cable routes for Codling Wind Park, covering 89 km of the prospective cable corridor off the County Wicklow coast. Using the vessels Arctic Ocean for nearshore and offshore sections and Fastnet Pelican for very nearshore areas, the company applied multibeam echosounder, side scan sonar, ultra-high resolution seismic, magnetometry, and shallow soil sampling to investigate all areas, delivering the campaign with an excellent safety record despite COVID-19 restrictions.

Codling Wind Park’s developers (Fred. Olsen Seawind and EDF Renewables) held a first phase of pre-planning public consultation in March 2021, focusing on early proposals for the offshore wind farm and associated grid connection, including export cables and substations, with events held in County Wicklow. This phase invited local stakeholders to comment on the initial project concepts ahead of more detailed environmental assessment and route design for the Codling–Poolbeg export connection.

Codling Wind Park Ltd issued a formal procurement notice on 11 September 2020 for an offshore geotechnical survey across the main Codling site and along the export cable routes. The tender sought contractors to carry out boreholes, cone penetration tests, seismic CPTs, vibrocores and grab sampling to characterise ground conditions for turbine, substation and export cable design on the Irish east coast between Greystones and Wicklow.

In February 2020, EDF Renewables acquired a 50% stake in Codling Wind Park, creating a 50/50 joint venture with Fred. Olsen interests to develop the project, including its offshore and onshore infrastructure connecting to the grid at Poolbeg. The project is thereafter described as a 50/50 joint venture between Fred. Olsen Seawind and EDF Renewables, reflecting the shared ownership structure for the Codling Wind Park development.

Codling Wind Park plans to install up to three 220 kV offshore export cables between the offshore substations on Codling Bank and a landfall on the southern shoreline of the Poolbeg peninsula, with indicative circuit lengths of roughly 41–45 km each. The developer estimates that works to lay these export cables, including offshore and nearshore sections, will take approximately 24–30 months to complete.

As part of the Codling–Poolbeg 220 kV export system, seabed preparation and protection works are planned along the offshore cable routes from Codling Bank to Dublin Bay. Installation of the export cables will involve seabed preparatory works such as jetting, trenching or ploughing, burial to a minimum cover of about 1.4 m below seabed where feasible, and deployment of secondary protection (rock placement or concrete mattresses) in areas where target burial depth cannot be achieved, as set out in the project’s export cable burial and protection planning drawings.