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Irish Examiner
30-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Developing a new national plan for offshore wind energy
At the start of May, Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy Darragh O'Brien TD announced that work has started on a new national map to identify locations where future offshore wind farms can be developed. The national Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP) for offshore wind will be developed by the Department of Climate, Environment and Energy, and will involve extensive data-gathering and public consultation. It is due to be completed by the end of 2027. Ireland's first DMAP was approved by the Oireachtas late last year and identified four sites off the coast of Waterford for new offshore wind farms. The map was produced following an extensive public consultation with coastal communities in Waterford, Cork, and Wexford and was informed by detailed environmental, scientific and engineering expertise. The fishing community on the south coast was heavily involved in the process, working with the Government to ensure that, as much as possible, the impact on fishing activity from the development of offshore wind energy within the DMAP was minimised. Four areas off the south coast of Ireland have been identified for offshore wind in the Government's draft "DMAP". An auction for the first of those four sites, known as Tonn Nua — the Irish for 'New Wave' — will be held before the end of the year to build a 900 MW wind farm at that location though there continues to be uncertainty over the Government's plans for the three other sites. Managed and sustainable 'The use of strategically planned DMAPs will ensure that developments in Ireland's maritime area take place in a managed and sustainable way,' said Minister O'Brien. 'An integrated, national approach will ensure that strategic forward planning for skills, enterprise and the industry-wide supply chain development can take place. 'Ports will have the ability to forward plan for the necessary large-scale offshore infrastructure build-outs required to support ORE development, while forward planning for grid and interconnection can occur within the framework of a long-term holistic view. By focusing on a single DMAP, we will be able to maximise our resources.' The Irish wind energy industry welcomed the announcement as providing greater certainty and ambition for Ireland's offshore wind energy future while highlighting concerns about the timeline for completion. Industry response 'This will take time,' said Wind Energy Ireland CEO Noel Cunniffe, 'and our members will do everything they can to help speed things up, but once complete this will provide enough sites to accelerate the development of offshore renewable energy and to put Ireland firmly at the heart of Europe's response to the energy and climate crises. 'But it won't be done in 2027 if the resources, the personnel and the expertise isn't in place to ensure we hit that target. The offshore wind industry has struggled with missed deadlines from Government in the past and we can't afford more slippages.' The industry sees the budget later this year as, effectively, the Government's only opportunity to allocate enough funding if the 2027 deadline is to be hit. Resources will be needed to collect and buy data on Ireland's maritime area, to commission marine surveys and to ensure a thorough and transparent public consultation. It will also be critical to ensure that the development of the new national DMAP aligns with plans for new Marine Protected Areas. Legislation has long been promised to help Ireland meet its international obligation to designate 30 per cent of Irish waters as Marine Protected Areas by 2030. Marine protection While the Bill is listed as a priority in the Government's legislative calendar it is unlikely it will be enacted before work on the national DMAP is, at a minimum, significantly advanced. It is a challenge of which Minister for State at the Department of Climate, Environment and Energy with special responsibility for the Marine, Timmy Dooley TD, is very conscious. 'As an island nation with an extensive maritime territory, Ireland has one of the best offshore wind resources in the world,' he said. 'The development of offshore wind projects, including floating offshore wind and other innovative technologies throughout our coastal areas, offers enormous economic opportunities for coastal communities, in terms of jobs growth and local community development. 'It also provides the opportunity to align with future Marine Protected Areas. The DMAP development process will be inclusive and will provide comprehensive consultation opportunities.' The development of the new national map has the potential to boost confidence in Ireland as a place to invest within the wider offshore wind energy industry and to produce a strong pipeline of new projects. But doubts persist over whether the Government will be able to meet the timeline it has set itself. And while work on the national DMAP must start immediately the greater priority is the remaining five offshore projects already in the planning system. With the likely loss of the Sceirde Rocks project off the coast of Galway the risks to the other projects must be minimised and this has to be at the top of Minister O'Brien's to-do list.
Irish Times
26-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Wind Energy Ireland warns immediate Government action needed ‘to protect' offshore wind ‘opportunity'
Ireland's 2030 offshore wind targets 'are in serious jeopardy, without decisive and immediate Government action', according to the Irish wind industry. 'We can – and will – develop offshore wind farms, but it's increasingly unlikely that will happen before the end of this decade,' Wind Energy Ireland says in a report on delivery of critical offshore projects to meet the State's renewables and climate targets. It details how offshore developers with projects in planning are subjected to requests for further information that will push back decisions, making grid connections by 2030 unlikely. An offshore wind action plan to be released at its annual offshore wind conference in Dublin on Tuesday sets out Government priorities to 'restore confidence in Ireland's ability to build a competitive, sustainable and robust offshore wind industry'. READ MORE Three offshore projects supported by the State contracts under 'phase one' developments are in planning, while four sites have been designated for development off the south coast, with 900 megawatts (MW) in the Tonn Nua area due to feature in a phase-two auction. WEI calls for a long-term framework that provides certainty and stability for future development through 24 targeted actions, split across four delivery areas. These include delivering phase-one projects; maximising the south coast designated maritime area plan (DMAP), and accelerating the national DMAP announced recently by Minister for Energy Darragh O'Brien 'to provide a long-term pipeline of projects for both fixed and floating wind'. Complementing this should be building vital infrastructure and demand strategies, it says, including investment in ports, grid capacity and industrial demand to support offshore wind growth. It calls for urgent resourcing of planning authorities and key State agencies; clarity on grid access and offshore auctions and prioritisation of port expansion to ensure projects are built on time. While the Government fully backed phase-one projects, 'unfortunately this is not always the reality experienced by the project teams', as some developers are encountering lengthy 'requests for further information'. 'While we welcome An Bord Pleanála has identified the need for ongoing engagement with relevant State agencies to support responses to the RFIs, many of the concerns set out could have been dealt with and resolved by now had they been raised at pre-planning stage by the relevant bodies or if requested engagements were forthcoming in relation to consultation submissions,' it adds. As a consequence it was likely that determinations may not be made until at least 2026, making it extremely difficult to deliver projects by 2030. These problems arose 'primarily because of resource deficiencies in the system', WEI adds. It calls for 'a review to be conducted immediately to identify gaps across all relevant agencies' and a plan to ensure engagement is better facilitated. WEI chief Noel Cunniffe said: 'We are now in a decisive window. If we want offshore wind to play a central role in lowering consumer energy bills, securing Ireland's energy independence and cutting carbon emissions, we need a clear pathway forward.' That meant removing barriers, resourcing delivery and creating certainty for investors. The proposed actions would de-risk investment, accelerate planning and grid processes and ensure critical infrastructure were available in time, Mr Cunniffe said. 'What we decide to do in the next 12 months will determine whether we have boats in the water constructing wind farms in 2030 and whether 2040 targets remain within reach.'
