Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The State is investing tens of millions in this sector right now. We have put the legislative infrastructure in place. That was done in the previous Dáil. I had the honour of bringing forward the Maritime Area Planning Act, which was passed in this House, although it was not supported by everyone. It saw the establishment of Maritime Area Regulatory Authority, MARA. I will meet representatives of MARA next Wednesday to discuss how we can streamline our consenting process. Next week, I will be bringing to Cabinet the Climate Action Plan 2025, which was delayed simply because of the general election. That will be brought forward and published. It outlines what we are doing this year.

I am also working on an energy and climate strategy and have the full support of the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste in regard to the acceleration of our green transition. The focus has to be on renewables and the offshore renewable sector will be a game changer for this country for decades. I want to secure our own energy, give us an opportunity to grow our economy and our society and potentially become an energy exporter. We are not 100 years away from that at all. We are looking at having the first of the offshore renewable wind farms up and running, potentially by the end of the decade or certainly by the early 2030s, with many more coming on stream after that.

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