Cork and Dublin ports are set to receive multi-million euro grants in EU funding for sustainable, safe and smart transport infrastructure.
The new grants come from the EU's Connecting Europe Facility - its programme for strategic investment in infrastructure - and will see EU funding invested in transport infrastructure projects that support the country's connectivity and enhance the safety, sustainability and digitalisation of its transport systems.
Ireland will receive €157.5m in funding for five projects. Two of them at the Cork and Dublin ports are national, while the other three are multi-country EU projects involving Irish partners.
Dublin Port Company, the country's largest port handling over 50% of national port tonnage, is to get a total of €73.8m towards key components of its "MP2" Project which will increase berth capacity to handle projected future demand for Roll-On Roll-Off (RoRo) freight.
This will meet the needs of economic growth, the country's rising population, and operator demand for new RoRo services and larger vessels on direct services to Europe.
The funding will support the construction of two inter-dependent berths, totalling 572 metres, Berth 52 and Berth 53, at Terminal 5 at the eastern end of the North Port. The berths are designed to cater for the largest in class Ro-Ro vessels of up to 240m length.
The Port of Cork Company, the second largest port in the State, is to get a total of €38.4m for the construction of two quay berths at its Ringaskiddy deep water port. This includes a 200m extension to the existing container berth and the construction of Ringaskiddy West - Deepwater Berth Extension (DWB).
Three multi-country consortium projects that included Irish partners were also selected to receive funding, including the "Clean ATM 2" and "Green CNS" air navigation and traffic management projects.
Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said it was good to see the award of significant CEF funding for projects at Dublin Port Company and the Port of Cork Company.
"It is vital that our ports develop modern, smart, sustainable, and resilient transport infrastructure for the economy, for connectivity and as vital hubs for our renewable energy transformation," Mr Ryan said.
"The Port of Cork's project will be capable of facilitating the Offshore Renewable Energy Industry with full planning permission already in place while both Dublin Port's project and the Port of Cork’s project also encompass plans for providing infrastructure for the installation of onshore power supply showing how vital they are to our energy future," he added.
