Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

We are very conscious that the EU strategy on offshore renewable energy has key targets and there is a massive opportunity in that. We know we will need 27 GW of offshore wind to meet our zero-carbon targets by 2050. Putting that into perspective, Moneypoint power station generates approximately 850 MW. The opportunity is there in terms of offshore generation. There are questions inherent in this legislation that have yet to be answered in regard to the offshore opportunity. We know that wind will provide a source for decarbonisation. We know it must come from floating offshore wind on the south and west coasts because traditional fixed-bottom offshore technology is only for shallow waters such as those of the Irish Sea, which gives limited space and capacity for the development at scale that is needed. We must start now by ensuring that floating wind projects contribute to the target of 5 GW of offshore wind by 2030. Starting now means we can begin to develop the supply chain, including at ports such as Cork, in order that floating wind platforms can be deployed from Irish ports up to and beyond the 2030s.

A major constraint on starting now and securing the benefits of floating wind for Ireland stems from the uncertainty from Government on how the sector will be progressed in the short, medium and long term. The forthcoming climate action plan should have a target for floating wind. Will the Minister tell us whether this has been addressed? How will he ensure the legislation caters for floating wind development? In order for floating wind projects to contribute to our 2030 target, developers need to be surveying at sea next spring or summer. If developers have to wait for the new regulatory authority to be set up, which could take up to 18 months from the passing of the Bill, they could miss the boat. How will the Minister ensure floating wind developers can achieve permission to survey outside of the 12 nautical miles zone in 2022? The maritime area planning legislation is a major reform, as we know, but Ireland has been sea-blind for too many decades at this stage. That is evident to everyone here. We want to ensure the industry can scale up and scale out. Those permissions for surveying need to be given as soon as possible and that should be addressed within this legislation. We are calling on the Minister to provide those consents in advance of the regulatory authority being set up in Wexford.

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