Dublin Port Company’s largest infrastructure project receives approval

An Bord Pleanála, Ireland’s agency responsible for determining appeals and infrastructure development applications, has approved the Alexandra Basin Redevelopment Project at Dublin’s port.    Dublin Port Company’s Alexandra Basin Redevelopment (ABR) Project was officially approved by An Bord Pleanála, Ireland’s agency responsible for determining appeals and infrastructure development applications.
   The ABR Project, which is the largest single infrastructure development project in the history of Dublin Port, involves deepening the port to provide an entrance channel with a depth of at least 10 meters. The project also involves deepening and lengthening three kilometers of the port’s seven kilometers of berths to handle larger ships, Dublin Port Company said.
   The first phase of the ABR Project should be tendered and a contractor should be ready to start by October 2015, Dublin Port Company’s CEO Eamonn O’Reilly said in a statement.
   The project is expected to take five years to complete and cost a total of 230 million euros ($254.6 million).
   The European Union agreed in October 2014 to supply 2.4 million euros towards bringing the ABR Project to the point of being ready for construction. Last month, the European Commission announced further funding of 22.8 million euros for the construction phase of the project. In addition, the ABR Project is under appraisal by the European Investment Bank for 100 million euros of long-term debt financing.
   The project was subjected to a rigorous assessment by An Bord Pleanála due to environmental concerns, but the agency’s decision came as trade volumes at the port continue to grow, Dublin Port Company said.
   In addition to the ABR Project, Dublin Port Company has been working on various smaller projects including a new terminal for imported cars, the completion of the Alexandra Quay Container Terminal, a new high capacity firewater main and the redevelopment of eight hectares of land at the port. Dublin Port Company said it will also soon begin collaborating with Dublin City Council to redevelop the port’s road network to handle increases in port volumes.
   The ABR project is just one part of Dublin Port Company’s “Masterplan 2012 to 2040” to expand the port. “Given our high growth rates, we intend to review our Masterplan 2012 to 2040 in the first quarter of next year and begin to plan the next major development after the ABR Project,” O’Reilly said.