Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his comments and I thank the Government for supporting the motion, which has been crafted from a large body of work by colleagues and me in the Regional Group.

It is clear that Ireland is not on track to reach our target of 5,000 MW of offshore wind by the end of 2030. We have significant planning difficulties, as the Minister of State is aware, and probably regulatory difficulties too, as was evidenced by the exit of Equinor from the Irish renewable energy market. The planning system can only be as strong as it is resourced. Our projects and our coastal communities deserve a system that is fair, transparent, robust, swift and suitable to purpose. To that point, I believe that the Minister of State needs to look at the resources within An Bord Pleanála, which need to be beefed up given what is coming down the pipe with new applications for renewable projects.

The offshore wind farms that Ireland seeks to build in the next ten years are going to be some of the largest and most complicated infrastructure projects the State has ever undertaken. Even though they will be largely undertaken by the partners, the State will be centrally involved. It is very important that we see the establishment of the maritime area regulatory authority as quickly as possible. Ideally, this needs to be up and running in advance of 2023 when phase 2 projects will be considered and when the 2025 auctions will also occur.

Our group motion has called for an offshore renewable development authority. This is about strategic planning, something we do not always do well in Ireland. We cannot afford to miss this opportunity now. We must get all stakeholders involved and we must ensure that we listen to all voices. We have also asked for the construction of an Atlantic interconnector. I accept absolutely that this is a very big ask but we must have been thinking in this regard. We are talking about really big project stuff and potentially the future economic development of Ireland over the next 50 to 100 years. We must think big. We have also asked for the designation of Shannon Foynes Port on the Shannon Estuary as a European centre of excellence for the manufacture and development of renewable energy technologies, and particularly turbine manufacturing, which is something we must get up to speed on very quickly in this country. We ask that all key stakeholders, including third level institutions and development agencies, be part of an offshore renewable energy action plan.

On ports and supply chain infrastructure we are doing a lot of work currently on the east coast to south coast. I must point out to the Minister of State that Rosslare Europort and Waterford Port are adjacent to all of this work. I ask that the Government would give considerable thought to resourcing these ports with regard to infrastructure and supply chains.

We need also to support a strategy for new grid infrastructure, and especially the North-South Celtic interconnector and the Greenlink interconnector. We cannot build the promised 5,000 MW of offshore wind energy if the Irish electricity grid is not strong enough to accommodate that volume of power. The grid capacity is key. Connecting the grid capacity will deliver on the actions the Government has committed to within the climate action plan. It will also signal to the international supply chain Ireland's determination to develop our enormous offshore renewable energy potential.

With regard to floating wind energy the programme for Government contains a commitment to produce a plan to develop more than 30 GW of offshore wind energy off the Atlantic coast. As the Minister of State is aware, this energy can be used to produce green hydrogen, which can become a major part of Ireland's future energy matrix. Again, one of the biggest barriers we face is that there is no mechanism to allow offshore wind energy projects to obtain a licence to carry out surveys beyond 12 nautical miles. Until this is put in place it is not possible for these projects to proceed with even the early stage survey work. I put it to the Minister of State that this is a key requirement of the Government's plan.

As the Minister of State has highlighted with regard to the just transition, we need to consider all of our coastal regions, our sea fishers, our seafood industry and the needs of our biodiversity and marine protected areas. I am aware that we have a community dividend secured within the tendering service, but I believe it will be more difficult within the offshore sector.

We have a great opportunity to position Ireland as a centralised and decarbonised economy within Europe. We can absolutely attain the title of Emerald Isle, and one of the greenest economies in the world, if we grab this opportunity.

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