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Background

Tonn Nua is a 900MW fixed-bottom, offshore wind project of the south coast of Ireland. It is one of four maritime sites within the Government's South Coast Designated Maritime Area Plan (SC-DMAP) identified for future offshore wind development.

Read more about the South Coast Designated Maritime Area Plan (SC-DMAP)

An auction under the Offshore Renewable Energy Support Scheme (ORESS) was held in November 2025 to develop the Tonn Nua site. The ESB and Ørsted joint venture were successful in the Tonn Nua ORESS auction and subsequently secured provisional rights to develop the site.

In October 2024, the Oireachtas approved the South Coast Designated Maritime Area Plan (SC-DMAP) following a comprehensive public engagement and environmental assessment process. The SC-DMAP is Ireland's first forward special plan for offshore renewable energy (ORE).

In April 2021, EirGrid was designated as Ireland's Offshore Transmission System Owner and Operator and are responsible for the transmission assets relating to the Tonn Nua Offshore Wind Farm to connect it to the national electricity grid.

Tonn Nua Offshore Wind Farm

The Tonn Nua project (meaning 'new wave'), is located between approximately 12-30km offshore, off the coast of Co Waterford. The site currently has an area of 306 square kilometres, with a mean water depth of 57 metres accross the site.

The expected capacity output of the project is 900MW, enough energy to power up to one million homes. The project - once complete - will save approximately 1.8 million tonnes of CO2 emmisions each year after its construction, making a sizeable contribution to Ireland's wider climate and renewable electricity targets.