Mr. Noel Cunniffe:

I thank the Cathaoirleach and members of the committee for the opportunity to appear before them today to represent the views of our more than 200 member companies. I am joined by our head of policy and research, Mr. Dave Linehan, and our director of external affairs, Mr. Justin Moran.

Wind energy has become Ireland’s leading source of renewable electricity. Last year, Irish wind farms provided 32% of the country’s electricity. No country in Europe gets a larger share of their power from onshore wind farms than we do. Yet, every hour Ireland is spending €1 million to import fossil fuels when there is a viable alternative and a way to keep this money at home. Our wind farms strengthen Irish energy security. In the past three years, Irish wind farms cut spending on imported fossil fuels by €3.3 billion and saved almost €1 billion more in carbon credits, while displacing almost 7 billion cu. m of fossil fuel gas.

Our wind farms protect Irish electricity consumers. Research published this year demonstrates that since 2000, renewable electricity has, conservatively, saved consumers nearly €1 billion. Between 2020 and 2023, at the height of the energy crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic, renewable electricity cut bills by an average of €320 per person. The next five years are an opportunity to make unprecedented progress in moving our nation to rely on locally produced renewable energy and accelerate the next phase of Ireland’s economic development. To achieve this we must first accelerate the delivery of Ireland’s most affordable new source of electricity, onshore wind farms. In the first study of its kind, a report published this year by planning consultancy MKO analysed Ireland’s geography, examining the land available in the country for future development. It identified roughly 1,300 sq. km on which new wind farms could be built, less than 2% of the Republic of Ireland. Conservative estimates suggest this could produce nearly 6,000 MW of additional onshore wind energy beyond our 9,000 MW target for 2030. Delivering this power, which is possible by delivering our existing pipeline and developing the land identified in this research, will drive down electricity prices for Irish families and businesses. We are calling on the Government to set new targets for onshore wind energy of 11,000 MW by 2035 and 15,000 MW by 2040, and we ask for the committee’s support.

Looking beyond our shores, offshore wind energy can complete our country’s quest for energy independence and economic prosperity.

In May, we launched our Offshore Wind Action Plan. It sets out the clear and practical Government actions to support the delivery of offshore wind projects through 24 targeted actions, split across four delivery areas.

The first of these is delivering the phase 1 projects to establish Ireland’s offshore wind industry. This is an essential first step. The second involves maximising the south coast DMAP by progressing the Tonn Nua site auction later this year and developing the three other sites in the DMAP. The third is accelerating the national ORE DMAP to provide a long-term pipeline of projects for both fixed and floating wind. The final one involves building vital infrastructure and co-ordinated electricity demand strategies, which includes investment in ports, grid capacity and new industries which can both support and benefit from offshore wind growth. Among the recommendations are the urgent resourcing of planning authorities and key State agencies, clarity on future grid access and offshore auctions and enabling the necessary investment in our ports to ensure that Irish offshore wind farms are constructed at home in order to benefit our coastal communities. The actions laid out in the plan will help remove barriers to the delivery of clean, affordable offshore energy, and we look forward to discussing them with the committee.

Last year, Ireland set a new record for installed wind energy generation, with over 5,000 MW of onshore wind now connecting to the system. However, it was also the worst year on record for wasted wind power, with recent research estimating the cost to consumers of this waste rose from €90 million in 2016 to €450 million last year. Despite the best efforts of our colleagues in EirGrid and ESB Networks, our electricity grid is simply not able to cope with what our members produce, let alone meet future demands from offshore wind, solar generation and the electrification of our economy. Every time a wind turbine is shut down because the grid cannot take the electricity, it means higher bills and more carbon emissions. I ask the committee to support calls for continued investment in our energy infrastructure in order to increase grid capacity and energy storage and to publically back proposed grid infrastructure projects. If we fail to support and deliver the grid, we will fail to grow our economy, put our electricity supply at risk and effectively abandon our legal climate obligations.

At a time when our economy is under threat from tariffs, energy costs and global uncertainty, we have a solution in Ireland. To develop this enormous potential, we need evidence-based new wind energy guidelines and a well-resourced planning system that prioritises renewable energy and takes full advantage of changes in EU law designed to accelerate the development of wind power. Supporting this we must have a stronger electricity grid which ensures the clean, affordable, power from these wind farms gets to those who need it. Building that grid means delivering essential upgrades and new power lines. I refer here, for example, to the North-South interconnector, which is the spine around which we can build an electricity grid for a 21st century economy. The challenge is significant, but the reward will be a clean, affordable, energy-secure future, that supports Irish jobs and communities. That is a future and a country worth investing in.