Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Very real progress is being made in decarbonising the electricity sector. We are currently on track to reach approximately 6 GW of grid-connected renewables by the end of this year, with more than 300 onshore wind farms now generating clean energy across the country. Ireland is in the top five globally for both installed wind power capacityper capita and the contribution of wind energy to electricity demand, making us a world leader in the integration of variable renewable electricity into the grid. Climate Action Plan 2023 not only sets out an ambitious target of 80% of demand being met by renewable sources by 2030 but also includes a comprehensive set of measures for facilitating the large-scale deployment of renewables to reach this target. We are accelerating the delivery of our onshore and offshore renewable energy potential, including in planning, grid development and financial support schemes.

On the route to market, in 2023 we held two renewable electricity support scheme auctions.

This included our third onshore auction in which the successful projects represent a 12% increase in our renewable energy capacity from current levels, and our first offshore auction which saw more than 3 GW of capacity being procured. Future auctions will take place in the coming years, as per the indicative auction calendar, to ensure investment in this sector continues.

On planning, An Bord Pleanála has received significant additional resources, including a dedicated marine directorate, to process the offshore RESS planning applications, with an expected 50% increase in staffing numbers from 2021 levels.

On the grid, EirGrid and ESB Networks have identified the changes and improvements required to increase the efficiency and resilience of the grid network to reduce the need for new infrastructure while maintaining our energy security and ability to integrate variable renewable sources.

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