EirGrid announces procurement package for Irish offshore wind

EirGrid, the operator and developer of the Ireland’s electricity grid, has today announced a procurement package worth hundreds of millions of euros for works related to the delivery of offshore wind. The Powering Up Offshore – South Coast Tonn Nua Substation Package is the first major transmission procurement launched under this framework and marks a key milestone in operationalising Ireland’s offshore ambitions.

Positive news for Irish offshore wind

The scope of the package includes, the design, fabrication, installation, and commissioning of offshore substations, associated HV equipment, onshore compensation compound works, and related engineering scope.
In 2021, Ireland opted to move towards a plan-led rollout of offshore renewables and infrastructure.
As part of that work, EirGrid, as Ireland’s transmission system operator has been tasked with bringing forward a plan to deliver on the Government’s offshore ambitions of 5 GW of offshore wind in the coming years.
The procurement is being launched via the Achilles Supply Line Platform on Thursday 23rd April 2026 reflecting a more integrated and scalable packaging strategy, informed by extensive market engagement.

Announcing the package at EirGrid’s event at the 2026 WindEurope conference in Madrid, EirGrid’s CEO Cathal Marley said, “It is estimated that the substation package procurements being launched today will be valued in excess of hundreds of millions of euros, demonstrating the progress being made to deliver offshore renewables at scale, a critical step towards a cleaner energy future.

“I encourage the entire supply chain across these areas to engage with EirGrid and support us to harness the significant offshore wind resource that exists in Irish waters.”

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine, Timmy Dooley, said, “Ireland is at a pivotal moment for offshore development, with the scale of the opportunity now clear and the right national policy architecture in place. Through the National DMAP and a shift from ambition to delivery, we are moving towards a planned, long-term offshore sector underpinned by collaboration across Government, agencies, industry and communities.

“Today’s event, alongside the successful Tonn Nua auction and EirGrid’s ongoing south coast surveys, shows this collaborative model is delivering real momentum, and we thank all stakeholders for their continued commitment.”

• Powering Up Offshore – South Coast is EirGrid’s programme to build the new transmission grid infrastructure necessary to bring power generated by offshore windfarms into our national grid.
• Tonn Nua is the name of the first Area being connected into the grid within the larger Powering Up Offshore – South Coast Programme.
• This will help deliver approximately 900 megawatts of additional electricity, enough to power almost one million homes and support us in meeting Ireland’s climate goals.

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