Offshore Wind Developers Pledge £100m to Make Belfast Harbour a Major Irish Sea Hub

Developers of the Mona and Morgan offshore wind projects have committed more than £100 million to transform Belfast Harbour into a major assembly and marshalling hub for two of the largest wind farms planned in the Irish Sea.

The joint venture between EnBW and JERA Nex bp will lease Belfast Harbour’s D1 terminal to carry out the assembly, marshalling, and logistics for the Mona and Morgan projects. Enabling works are already underway, with the aim for the site to be ready for operations from 2028. 

The developers say the two parks together could deliver up to around 3GW of capacity, enough renewable power to supply millions of homes, and the port commitment aims to secure the industrial infrastructure needed to build them.

Belfast Harbour has stressed the strategic importance of the investment for Northern Ireland and the wider island economy, stating it is the only port on the island currently equipped with significant offshore‑wind handling capabilities. 

The port authority says the projects will position the local supply chain at the heart of Irish Sea renewables deployment and support long‑term jobs and investment.

Officials expect the deal to create roughly 300 direct roles in and around the harbour, with further employment across construction, fabrication, and the supplier base as component assembly ramps up through the coming years. 

Operated as a trust port that reinvests profits into the estate, Belfast Harbour has already agreed to invest about £90 million in upgrades to its D3 terminal to add a dual‑purpose deepwater berth for cruise and offshore wind use. 

Stage 1 is already under construction and further reinforcement planned to handle next‑generation turbine components weighing more than 1,000 tonnes.

The Mona project secured consent in July 2025 and Morgan followed in August 2025, clearing the principal regulatory hurdles for both sites and enabling developers to firm up supply‑chain plans and port logistics. 

Both consented projects are designed to host up to 96 turbines each, reflecting the scale of works that D1 and D3 will need to support during marshalling and installation campaigns.

“The Mona and Morgan joint venture’s planned commitment of over £100 million to Belfast Harbour is a direct contribution to the infrastructure needed to drive the energy transition,” said CEO of JERA Nex bp, Nathalie Oosterlinck.

However, delivering heavy fabrication and component logistics at scale will demand careful planning around berthing windows, heavy‑lift capability, and shore‑power provision for vessels while docked. 

Belfast Harbour says the upgrade programme will include shore power infrastructure to reduce emissions during layups and to meet operational demands for larger turbines and foundations.

For Belfast and the Irish Sea region, the investment marks an important step in anchoring large‑scale offshore wind activity on a port that aims to combine historic maritime capability with new green industries.
 

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