Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move:

That Dáil Éireann:

recognises that: — Ireland has one of the largest maritime areas in the European Union (EU), seven times larger than our land mass, and covers an area of almost 500,000 sq. km, representing a 220-million-acre marine resource;

— there is potential to develop over 70,000 megawatts of offshore renewable energy, providing Ireland with the opportunity to be a major exporter of green energy, powering much of Europe by 2050 via wind generated electricity and hydrogen;

— while green hydrogen is in its infancy as a technology, Ireland is in a unique position to exploit its full economic and employment potential as an early technology mover;

— exploiting the full offshore renewable capacity will lead to an investment of over €100 billion, providing for a sustainable jobs dividend within our coastal communities, particularly along our western seaboard;

— the Oireachtas is progressing the Maritime Area Planning Bill 2021 which will provide a legal basis for the long-term protection and sustainable development of the maritime area, while also ensuring that there are clear timelines and a streamlined process in place for developments;

— our energy system is dominated by imported fossil fuels, in particular oil, which is used for transport as well as in residential heating and in the industrial sector, and natural gas, which is primarily used for electricity generation, industry, services, and residential heating;

— renewable energy not only avoids emissions but increases energy security and protects the long-term sustainability of our economy; and

— the Government has designated seven offshore wind ‘Relevant Projects’ which are seeking to supply over 3,000 megawatts of electricity to the national grid; notes: — that the Climate Action Plan 2021 commits to increase renewables to meet 80 per cent of our electricity needs by 2030;

— that if Ireland is to achieve its renewable energy commitments by 2030 it will require a doubling of offshore generation capacity off Ireland’s eastern and southern coasts;

— that offshore renewable development in Ireland is currently developer-led and there is real concern, despite Government policy to transition to a plan-led approach, that this will be sacrificed in order to achieve the ambitious 2030 commitments; and

— the process for the second auction under the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) commences on 7th December, 2021, with the goal of increasing technology diversity by broadening the renewable electricity technology mix, with plans to soon commence the first offshore competition under the RESS (ORESS 1); and calls on the Government to: — immediately draft an offshore renewable action plan to bring together all of the key stakeholders, including all third-level and further education institutions and development agencies, including the Western Development Commission, to draw up a strategy to ensure that all possible offshore sites are fully considered in terms of the economic benefits, including high value jobs, which they can bring from the exploitation of the massive renewable energy resources off our coast;

— ensure that the proposed Maritime Area Regulatory Authority is established, resourced and operational within the next 12 months, to capitalise on the growing demand for offshore renewable deployment;

— establish an offshore renewable development authority similar to the Industrial Development Authority that will drive a fully coordinated national action plan, and will have responsibilities ranging from research and development and supply chain development to the commercial deployment of renewable energy, ensuring that Ireland becomes the leading global clean energy exporter;

— direct the offshore renewable development authority to coordinate the Government implementation of the offshore renewable action plan, to source financial investment and to attract multinational players as well as promoting joint ventures with domestic enterprises and third-level institutions;

— instruct Enterprise Ireland, in conjunction with the offshore renewable development authority, to stimulate the establishment of indigenous businesses in the renewable energy supply chain through a national renewable energy business accelerator programme;

— instigate the urgent drafting of a green hydrogen strategy involving the emerging industry across the EU as well as key domestic stakeholders to assess hydrogen’s suitability as a key future energy source for our economy and identify the main infrastructure investment requirements;

— designate Foynes Port and the Shannon Estuary as a European centre of excellence for the manufacture of offshore floating renewable energy technology;

— invest in the upgrading of all our ports with the capacity to facilitate the assembly, deployment and maintenance of offshore renewable technologies;

— immediately design a strategy in conjunction with the European Commission to fund and construct an Atlantic electricity interconnector which would land west/southwest coast renewable energy directly into the mainland European electricity grid; and

— ensure that all offshore renewable energy rights issued will not just be dependent on the speed of commissioning and price to the consumer but also take into consideration the annual community rebate along with the domestic employment generated in the manufacture, deployment, and maintenance of such infrastructure.

As the Minister will know, Ireland has a 220-million-acre maritime resource off our coast, where there is the potential to develop over 70,000 MW of offshore renewable energy. This motion calls on the Government to think outside the box and implement ambitious solutions to clean up our energy supply, provide sustainable long-term employment opportunities and ensure that Ireland becomes a global renewable energy exporter. A radical overhaul of Ireland's industrial development policy is required if we are to achieve our climate goals and fully grasp the economic opportunities off our coast. This cannot be done on a piecemeal or haphazard basis, as we have seen in the past. We must have a very strategic focus on what is in Ireland's long-term interests rather than just allowing this to be developer-led.

As I have said, there is potential to generate 70 GW of clean energy off our coasts. That is enough not only to meet our own long-term needs, but to meet the demands of both France and Austria as well. We need to lead from the front in this regard. We need to establish an Industrial Development Authority of the seas to become a major global clean energy exporter, just as the Arab states have done with oil. We do not want to wait for another mainstream moment, a situation in which private developers would decide how to exploit Ireland's renewable energy resources and who that energy is supplied to. This is just like what happened with mainstream renewable power and Element Power's plans to erect 1,000 massive wind turbines right across the midland counties to supply electricity to the United Kingdom. Families around this country who are struggling to pay their electricity bills are the ones who will end up funding this speculation which, as the Minister knows, is beginning to start again. There has also been exploitation in the past when grid connections were auctioned off.

I fear that Ireland will end up giving away its renewable energy rights in order to hit our 2030 and 2040 targets in an attempt to be the good boy at the top of the class while electricity customers continue to pay for the most expensive electricity in Europe. We have to exploit this resource instead. We must design a bidding process based on job creation along our west coast and ensure that the State secures a royalty for every single megawatt generated and supplied to both our national grid and to the proposed Atlantic interconnector, which would supply electricity directly into the European grid from our western coastal waters. We must ensure that we have the cheapest electricity in Europe for our domestic customers. The way to do this is to establish an offshore renewable development authority. As I have said, this would be similar to the Industrial Development Authority and would drive a fully co-ordinated national action plan. The authority would also have responsibilities in areas ranging from research and development and supply chain development to the commercial deployment of renewable energy, ensuring that Ireland becomes the global leader in the export of sustainable clean energy. In the interim and before the establishment of such an authority, the Western Development Commission should be directed to take on this co-ordination role in the short term.

We also propose the development of an Atlantic electricity interconnector in conjunction with the European Commission. We will only be able to consume approximately 10% of the substantial amount of potential renewable energy off our coasts here within Ireland. We will have a surplus 90% that can and should be exported directly into the European electricity network. To do this, Ireland needs to immediately design a strategy, in conjunction with the European Commission, to fund and construct an Atlantic electricity interconnector that would land west coast and south-west coast renewable electricity directly into the mainland European electricity grid. As the Minister knows, we have an enormous potential supply of electricity to meet the demands of Austria and France. From engaging with his colleagues, the Minister will also know that Germany faces a very significant challenge in meeting its renewable energy targets. Germany has the greatest demand for electricity in Europe. We can help our European colleagues out in this regard.

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