Dáil debates
Thursday, 27 April 2023
Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions
Wind Energy Generation
10:50 am
Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent)
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73. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of offshore wind turbines he expects to be off the Irish coast by the end of 2024, 2025 and 2026, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20209/23]
Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent)
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Approximately how many offshore wind turbines do we expect to have in situfor the end of next year and the end of 2025 and 2026?
Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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There are already and will be seven turbines in place at the Arklow wind bank, which have been in place for almost 20 years. Under the climate action plan 2023, the Government has committed to a target of a further 5 GW of installed offshore wind capacity in Ireland’s maritime area by 2030 and a further 2 GW from wind farms, which will be developed for conversion to other power uses. Significant work has been undertaken by my Department in the past two years to develop the regulatory framework to enable the construction and operation of offshore wind farms and associated infrastructure.
The national marine planning framework, which was adopted by Government in May 2021, is Ireland’s first marine spatial plan. The Maritime Area Planning Act 2021 was enacted in December 2021 and established the legislative foundation for the new marine planning system. Under the Marine Area Planning Act, a new maritime area consent, MAC, regime for offshore energy projects was developed by my Department to replace the foreshore lease system. I issued the first MACs for seven phase 1 offshore projects in December 2022.
In addition, a new maritime directorate has been established in An Bord Pleanála that will have responsibility for the assessment of planning applications for offshore development. The Maritime Area Regulatory Authority, MARA, is being established, which will have sole authority for granting further MACs for all future marine infrastructure required to deploy offshore wind energy.
In order to provide a route to market for offshore wind projects, the Government approved the terms and conditions of the first offshore renewable electricity auction in November 2022. The auction process opened in January 2023 and final auction results will be available in June. The successful phase 1 projects with MACs will progress through the planning system. After having secured planning permission from An Bord Pleanála, the developers will commence offshore wind farm construction and deployment, which will become operational in the latter part of this decade.
Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent)
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I very much acknowledge and appreciate all the work that is going on in the background, such as the establishment of MARA, the legislation and the planning bits and pieces that are taking place. However, what people really need and want to know is when construction will happen. I take the Minister's point. He said the back end of this decade. The key question for me is as to whether there will be any construction of offshore wind turbines in the lifetime of this Dáil or the next? We seem to be talking about megawatts and gigawatts, but it would be great to see the number of structures that will be put out there. A precondition for this would be the port situation. We know Belfast is the only port on this island capable of assembling these wind turbines. Have we identified a port or two in this jurisdiction that could be used? Have we looked at upgrading ports to facilitate the assembly and construction of these turbines?
Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The critical thing in the lifetime of this Government is getting those phase 1 projects, of which there are six on the east coast and one on the west coast, through the auction process and subject to their qualifying on that, into the planning system this year. The timelines depend on An Bord Pleanála, but we are conscious we are in a race with other European countries, or with the US and others, who are looking for the same supply chain, ships, cables and other infrastructure. We are looking to try to make sure, with the greatest certainty, that the timetable is minimised and we start to see installations happening in the likes of 2026 and 2027. It is in the period 2028-29 that we expect the phase 1 projects to be delivered.
While that is happening, we switch to phase 2, which is further projects to make sure we meet that 5 GW target, where we have designated zones. Those are the appropriate place for wind energy to be developed, because we have learned a planned-led approach is the right way. Included in that is the use of Irish ports, that is, Belfast and ports in the South which need to be up and running in time for that sort of delivery schedule.
Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent)
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That is great. Thus, the specifics most likely relate to the period from 2026 onwards. At least we have a good, if tentative, timeline. I am glad about the Arklow wind bank. I managed to sail past it last summer on a trip to France. There are seven turbines there that were constructed approximately 20 years ago. I stand open to correction, but my understanding is that it was the largest offshore wind farm in the world at the time. We were a leader 20 years ago, but we have become a laggard ever since. I am always struck by how ambitious our parents' generation was, what it could do and how we seem to be tied up in bureaucracy all the time. I very much welcome that tentative timeline. Obviously it is not ideal, but it makes sense and it seems to be quite achievable. All I would do is urge the Minister and the wider Government to pursue this project at best safe speed. Wind is an incredible resource. We are the envy of Europe and the sooner we start harnessing the power of the wind, the better off we will all be, because we get to merge both the green and blue economies. I cannot recommend it enough.
Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I very much agree with the Deputy's vision of where we need to go. We were one of the initial leaders in offshore wind and then other countries, as the Deputy says, such as the UK, Germany, Holland and Belgium developed much quicker and much faster. However, we also developed renewables onshore. Within in a European context, we are in the top three countries in integrating new variable renewable power. We are actually quite successful in this area of renewable development, but that success now moves to both solar and offshore energy in particular.
The Deputy is right. We have a real opportunity, because we have a comparative advantage as a result of having a large sea area, where there are stronger winds. We have real capability. We need to be fast and at the same time, we need to get our environmental planning and bring coastal communities with us, including fishing communities and others.
It is absolutely feasible for us to do that to deliver that 5 GW before the end of this decade but then start on the additional 2 GW and on from there to the really big project which is going into deeper waters at much bigger scale. Everything we are doing is to get that planning process right so that we deliver the really big prospect, as the Deputy said, like our forefathers and women before us, who thought big when they set up the likes of Ardnacrusha. That is where we need to go.