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

I agree with Deputy Ó Cathasaigh. There are a number of areas where we have to accelerate the roll-out of the climate solutions to meet our climate targets. The debate last night showed this. This is with regard to switching to heat our homes, sustainable mobility and offshore renewable energy. The Government is establishing a number of task forces to look to see how we manage this, particularly in the next three years. With regard to offshore renewables it will be about making sure we complete the auctioning, consenting and planning permission and that contracts are started for the first phase of projects. They are relevant projects that we have been in planning for up to ten years. Not all may progress but I expect a significant number to do so. This group of projects will be central in terms of the arrival in the middle of this decade; in 2026 and 2027. The second phase will be the development of more projects as we move farther into southern and western waters and start floating offshore projects. They will also have to be consented through the auction process in time for us to meet our 2030 target of 5 GW.

See this speech in context