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

I have been at a series of international meetings recently on the issue: in Bilbao, the European offshore wind energy conference; in Bruges, where we had a meeting of the north-west energy ministers on the subject; and in Dublin last week with our Scottish colleagues. In all three locations, I sensed broad consensus from industry, regulators and international experts that Ireland is now well placed. Our phase 1 projects have gone through the auction system and two other projects are progressing which were not successful in the auction system. They are in a very good place and are already gone into planning. All six will be in planning this summer. Subject to that coming through, they will be able to be built. We are on track.

On the south coast, the DMAP process took time but has been hugely beneficial. We had some 70 public meetings. About 25 staff in the Department engaged in the past year and a half or so on getting that right and I think it is right. The auction will start this year and I am confident in that phased approach.

We will go into western waters. One of the first projects is Sceirde Rocks in the west. We will do further DMAPs to set us up for the development of floating offshore wind. We will do that in the way that works most effectively for the Irish public as well as the industry. It will be on an experimental basis which allows us to test and develop the technology. In all strands and each of the waters - east, south and west - we are well placed and I am confident we will deliver.

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