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

Citizen engagement is at the heart of Ireland's energy and climate transformation. Local coastal communities will be central to the decision-making processes of community engagement initiatives as part of Ireland's offshore renewable energy journey.

The Maritime Area Planning Act 2021 provides the legal underpinning to an entirely new marine planning system which will enable the realisation of our offshore renewable energy ambition by establishing a well-regulated and inclusive consenting process, with comprehensive environmental assessments and consultations, to enable meaningful community engagement.

Work on a revised offshore renewable energy development plan, which will provide an evidence base for the identification of areas most suitable for the sustainable development of offshore renewable energy, has been initiated by my Department. As part of that process, my Department established an advisory group to facilitate the development of the plan and participation in the spatial planning process by all relevant stakeholders from the economic, environmental and social pillars.

I had the privilege of participating in the first national climate stakeholder forum last month, attended by over 120 delegates who discussed various issues including engagement by them. My Department has also recently completed a public consultation on the draft terms and conditions for the first offshore wind auction under the renewable electricity support scheme, RESS, which will support offshore wind development in Ireland. Projects successful at auction will be required to make significant community benefit contributions from an early stage in the life cycle of an offshore wind project. There has been a significant response from local communities and my Department is now carefully considering all submissions before issuing a formal response later this year.

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