UK and Ireland announce deal connecting offshore windfarms to energy networks

The collaboration will be outlined at a summit in Liverpool, which aims to reduce trade barriers created by Brexit

The UK and Ireland have announced closer collaboration on subsea energy infrastructure to “harness the full potential” of the Irish and Celtic seas as part of ongoing efforts to reset post-Brexit relations.

The countries will enter into a new data-sharing arrangement to lay the groundwork for connections between the growing number of offshore windfarms and onshore national energy networks. They say it will cut red tape and minimise “the burden of maritime and environmental consent processes for developers”.

The UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, and the taoiseach, Micheál Martin, are expected to outline the deal on Thursday morning at an inaugural British-Irish summit in Liverpool intended to reduce the trade barriers that Brexit created.

Starmer said: “As our closest neighbour, our partnership with Ireland is testament to the importance of working with international partners to deliver for people at home.

“Now more than ever we must work with likeminded partners in the pursuit of global peace, prosperity and security.”

Martin said the cooperation would also include a joint initiative to map the sea basin to improve the interoperability of energy interconnectors.

“There is good cooperation between us on energy, and I am particularly delighted that, following this summit, in recognition of critical importance of the Celtic and Irish seas, we will take that cooperation to a higher level,” he said.

He also announced closer cooperation on the EU’s Horizon Europe science research programme to identify joint initiatives with Northern Ireland on energy, climate, water and food sustainability research.

Starmer met his Irish counterpart on Wednesday night before the summit. The meeting followed Starmer’s promise after his election last year to improve relations and bring ties with Ireland to a new level.

The two premiers were expected to discuss trade, migration and energy supplies across the islands of Britain and Ireland, but the latest crisis in the transatlantic partnership, one held dearly by both countries, was likely to be a prominent part of the conversation.

Martin told a reception on Wednesday night that he was “delighted” Liverpool had been chosen as the setting for the summit, adding: “While we gather here this week, we are conscious also that this is a changing and uncertain world and, in that context, the case for an active, engaged and close partnership between our two countries has never been greater.”

He will go straight from the summit to a special European Council meeting on defence and Ukraine and described the UK-Ireland meeting as a timely moment for both premiers to reflect on their solidarity with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a “crucial moment for European security in a rapidly evolving context”.

Next Wednesday, Martin is heading to Washington for a meeting with Donald Trump as part of a St Patrick’s Day diplomatic push.

Cover photo:  The new data-sharing arrangement will lay the groundwork for connections between offshore windfarms and onshore energy networks. Photograph: Tom Little/Reuters