Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Hydrogen provides us with an incredible opportunity in Ireland. It provides the potential for long duration energy storage, dispatchable renewable electricity, the opportunity to decarbonise some parts of high temperature processing and a potential export market opportunity, given Ireland's offshore renewable potential. As set out in the 2023 Policy Statement on the Framework for Phase Two Offshore Wind, the Government has set an initial target of 2 GW of floating offshore wind to be in development by 2030, which may include the development of projects devoted to production of green hydrogen, to create the necessary environment to develop an indigenous hydrogen industry, and projects devoted to other non-grid uses. Hydrogen and decarbonised gases should be a critical component of Ireland’s energy ecosystem and decarbonisation pathway.

A hydrogen strategy for Ireland is currently being finalised and is expected to publish in the coming weeks. This strategy will set out the need for a robust safety and regulatory framework to be in place, as well as the need to ensure licensing and permitting procedures are in place to enable sustainable indigenously produced green hydrogen supply chains to develop.