Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is great that the Taoiseach was able to attend the summit in Ostend with the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications. As the Taoiseach said, the development of offshore wind energy is so important in order to tackle climate change and decrease our dependence on imported fossil fuels. The Taoiseach also considered at the summit the provision of offshore grids and electricity interconnection, and that is obviously very relevant to Ireland within the EU. Offshore wind has enormous potential for Ireland, given our unique advantages.

I have two questions. Can the Taoiseach confirm that the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority, MARA, is bringing forward the necessary planning framework to facilitate the development of floating offshore wind projects and that it has recruited the necessary skills to do that? Also, are the necessary steps being taken to ensure that our commercial ports are fit for purpose to accommodate these developments?

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