Green Rebel Marine, a new company set up to service and maintain Ireland’s growing number of offshore windfarms, is to create 80 jobs in Cork.
Green Rebel Marine has announced plans to create a base in Crosshaven, Co Cork, and the acquisition of Crosshaven Boatyard. The company, founded by Cork businessperson Pearse Flynn, was recently set up to service and maintain a growing number of offshore windfarms in Irish waters.
The new base will see the creation of 80 jobs over the next 18 months, with Green Rebel Marine confirming the nine-acre boatyard site will serve as a base of operations to survey, equip and service windfarms. Crosshaven Boatyard will also continue its normal operations as a boatyard.
“Ireland is on the verge of a green revolution that will deliver 5GW of energy from wind not generated on land, but far out to sea,” Flynn said.
“Green Rebel Marine will work alongside the operators of this new array of wind turbines to ensure they remain operational by using skilled mariners who are trained here.”
Flynn added that he sees significant potential for the company in the years ahead and has invested €10m of his own money into the Crosshaven project, including the purchase of two specially equipped ships.
A rush to market
“The cost of constructing these offshore, floating windfarms is coming down and there is a rush amongst operators to see who will be first to market,” he said.
“Unlike the challenges posed by such projects on land, these sea-based sites will be largely away from public view. Ireland has the potential to become a net exporter of electricity within a decade, as opposed to relying on imported fossil fuels.”
Earlier this year, Bloomberg reported that global investment in offshore windfarms has grown by 5pc in the first half of 2020, despite the economic impact of Covid-19.
Planning work got underway in July for a 1GW site near the Kinsale gas fields that could see the construction of 67 floating turbines off the coast of Cork. Known as the Emerald Project, the site is initially planned to have between six and seven turbines with a capacity of approximately 100MW, before being scaled up. The company behind the project, Simply Blue Energy, announced last week that it plans to create eight jobs at its new headquarters in Blackrock, Co Cork.
