Belfast Plans Major Investments to Attract Offshore Wind Industry
Belfast Harbor is pursuing ambitions of becoming the leading port for cruise tourism and supporting the growing offshore wind industry across the United Kingdom after a five-year growth plan that will entail massive investments in key infrastructures.
Belfast, which hopes to cement its position as a major contributor to Northern Ireland’s economy, said it intends to invest $386 million in capital projects under a new regional development strategy. Of that amount, a total of $257 million will be directed towards port infrastructure with the aim of attracting new traffic.
Two key sectors that Belfast is targeting to serve in the coming years are cruise tourism and offshore wind. For this reason, the harbor is committing its largest single investment project to date - $110 million - in a deepwater quay that will be able to accommodate some of the world’s largest cruise vessels and also expand the port’s capacity and capabilities for offshore wind turbine assembly and installation.
Belfast is self-financing stage one of the quay project, and implementation is expected to commence this year with completion slated for 2028. The main aim of stage one is to support growth in cruise tourism. The harbor already boasts as the United Kingdom’s and Ireland’s busiest cruise transit port welcoming 150 cruise ships and over 300,000 cruise visitors annually who add an estimated $30 million to the local economy. Attracting larger vessels and more visitors is expected to boost the positive economic impact that cruise tourism brings to the region.
Stage two, which is dependent on third-party financing, is slated for completion in 2030 and is expected to ensure that the port plays a leading role in the assembly and installation of the next generation of floating offshore wind turbines. There are 30 offshore wind farms planned within a 200-kilometer range of Belfast Harbour with a projected capacity of more than 30 GW.
Being the first UK port with a purpose-built offshore wind terminal that is also the only such terminal on the island of Ireland, Belfast has already built a reputation of supporting the industry. About 66 percent of the UK's offshore wind capacity delivered between 2013 and 2018 was installed via the harbor.
“The addition of a new deepwater quay will not only add to the 300,000 cruise visitors welcomed by Belfast Harbour each year, it also gives us the opportunity to expand our capacity in the assembly and installation of offshore wind. This strategy will put Belfast Harbour at the forefront of the clean energy transition,” said Joe O’Neill, Belfast Harbor CEO.
The ambitious strategy will also see $145 million directed towards investment in port development and infrastructures and maintenance, repairs and upgrade of existing facilities. A total of $130 million will be invested in regeneration and development of the Harbour Estate and waterfront.
Belfast is key to Northern Ireland’s economic engine. Currently, the harbor handles 70 percent of the country’s seaborne trade and 25 percent of seaborne trade for the entire island of Ireland.
Top image: William Murphy / CC BY SA 2.0