Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 24 March 2022

Public Accounts Committee

Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Financial Statements 2020

9:30 am

Mr. Declan Meally:

The ambition is that some of them could be in the early stages of operation by 2025 or 2026. They will be coming on stream in 2025, assuming that all of the ducks - excuse the pun - are in a row in the context of what needs to happen in terms of planning, environmental considerations, consenting, grid connections and all of that. Much of the environmental work has been progressing in recent years in terms of seabed surveys, bird analysis, consultations and all those kinds of things. Much of that work has been ongoing but it is about making sure projects follow due process through the maritime Bill. We should then start to see them being installed and starting to kick off from 2025. Of course, they will not be completely built but at least the first phases will start to come on stream from then.