Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Offshore wind energy will help Ireland get to at least 70% renewable electricity by 2030 and supports the drive to net zero emissions by 2050. We have a target of 5 GW of offshore wind power by 2030 in the programme for Government and a further 30 GW in the subsequent decade.

Ireland's climate ambitions will see investment of tens of billions of euro in offshore renewable electricity projects. The first offshore wind developments are expected to be along the east coast in the coming years, where shallower waters are suitable for fixed-bottom turbines and prospective projects are more advanced. Over time, the energy potential of our deeper waters in the Atlantic Ocean are likely to be harnessed via floating wind systems.

Advancements in wave energy are monitored by the SEAI. Currently, no wave energy technology is sufficiently developed to be commercially integrated into Ireland's energy generation mix. However, wave energy is supported at national policy level through the offshore renewable energy development plan, OREDP, which has provided the basis for my Department supporting technology advancement in recent years. Work on a revised OREDP II is currently under way in my Department, and will provide an evidence base for the assessment of areas suitable for deployment of wind, wave, and tidal technical systems.

The Atlantic marine energy test site, AMETS, in Belmullet, County Mayo is being developed by the SEAI to test full scale pre-commercial offshore energy technologies. The development of AMETS has progressed steadily over the past decade. The SEAI is currently undertaking a strategic review of AMETS, the outcome of which will feed into the OREDP II.

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