Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 15 July 2025

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs

Planning Challenges in Offshore Renewable Energy: Discussion

2:00 am

Mr. Paul Kelly:

I will take that, if that is okay. The offshore wind industry, together with the fishing industry, has been strongly advocating what the Senator has referred to. We engage with the relevant organisations – the Marine Survey Office and the Department of Transport. Ultimately, their concern is safety and the quality of the vessels used for guard duties, as well as the competency of individuals who switch from fishing activity to providing protection services at sea. It is a question of making sure there are no scenarios where a vessel might interact with cable-laying activity, for example. We believe the current process could be streamlined and that facilitatory work should be done, while not compromising safety.

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