Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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82. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the position regarding the acceleration of offshore wind development under the Climate Action Plan 2025, including progress on grid integration and planning reform; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60514/25]

Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The climate action plan sets out ambitious offshore targets of 5 GW by 2030 and up to 20 GW by 2040. However, none of the offshore projects are yet operational as the Minister has mentioned and the first grid connections are not expected until 2028. Will the Minister outline how the Government intends to accelerate delivery, specifically the current offshore pipeline aligned with the climate action plan 2025 targets? What progress has been made on grid integration and planning reform to ensure those targets are actually met?

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Ó Cearúil as an gceist thábhachtach. I thank him for this important question. Our climate action plan specifies a target of 5 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030. That is not going to happen but we need to ensure those projects are in construction and that is down to planning. This target will be met in the early 2030s through a combination of projects from phase 1 and from within the south coast DMAP. The five phase 1 projects with a combined capacity of 3.8 GW are in development off our east coast. Applications for planning consent for all five projects are with An Coimisiún Pleanála and are subject to planning consent. I anticipate that these projects will be in construction by 2030. There were significant further requests from An Coimisiún Pleanála on the five phase 1 projects, mainly related to very significant additional bird surveys. That is the reality, unfortunately, of where we are there but these will be delivered.

Separately, an offshore wind auction process for 900 MW under the Tonn Nua site off our south coast is under way right now. This site is within the south coast DMAP, which was approved by the Oireachtas and the Tonn Nua project is expected to be operational by 2034.

My Department is working towards further auctions to achieve our 2030 target. We had a successful RESS 5 onshore auction as well where we secured over 1 GW of onshore renewables. However, offshore is absolutely critical. We need to work these projects through planning and get them out of planning. I have met with the phase 1 developers. I meet them regularly. We saw auctions in Holland recently where there were no bidders at all. Ireland is still seen as a place that is very attractive for offshore wind following on from what the Deputy said. Therefore, there are measures we have put in such as the Maritime Area Planning Act. We need faster consenting through MARA and are working through revised processes in MARA, which are starting to bear fruit. The Planning and Development Act, which the last Oireachtas passed and which the Minister, Deputy Browne, is commencing through the course of this year, will make a big difference as well by setting the statutory timelines. Indeed, the transposition of the RED II and RED III directive, which we are engaged in now will also be critically important.

Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. We all share the same ambition but I fear there is now a growing gap sometimes between the aspiration and delivery. It is not just in relation to energy. We have been discussing this ad nauseam in terms of different areas of society. Seven phase 1 projects have maritime area consents, as the Minister mentioned, totalling around 4.2 GW, yet none are near construction. The delays in both grid readiness and planning are stalling process. I appreciate the Minister's involvement in trying to get things moving, particularly from a planning perspective and I appreciate how difficult it is. However, EirGrid's offshore grid connection policy is not due until 2026. It will be early next year, so not too far away. Developers still do not have clarity on connection costs or timelines. The maritime area planning regime, while welcome, has no statutory decision timelines. Anything around here needs timelines. An Coimisiún Pleanála lacks the resources and the expertise to process these applications quickly.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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There are a couple of things there. We have an independent planning process. Sometimes it is a frustration for us, in that we want to see things delivered quicker but that is the reality. We have had people who will object to offshore wind as well. We respect the right of third parties. However, we have done things well too. If you look at onshore, which I have mentioned previously, we are a European leader in the integration of renewables into our grid. We are a European leader - and one of the world leaders; number two in the world - in relation to onshore winds. We have gone from about 7% of electricity generation through renewables just 20 years ago to about 41% or 42% last year. This shows what is possible. To be fair, the granting of onshore applications by An Coimisiún Pleanála in quarter 1 and quarter 2 of this year reached record levels. That is why we have had a very successful RESS 5 auction. However, offshore is really where we are going to see that absolute pivot. If we look at just those five projects, there is nearly 4GW. We have between 6 GW and 7 GW of onshore renewables. We will see in these projects alone what that will deliver. I will come back in on supplementary regarding MARA.

Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister. We need to look at introducing statutory timelines for consenting decisions and publish a delivery roadmap linking planning, grid and construction milestones. Without the joined up approach, we risk not only missing our 2030 targets but also the legally binding carbon budgets too, which is important to mention. It is not just about missing or meeting our climate targets. Offshore wind is Ireland's single biggest opportunity to secure our own clean energy, cut bills for families, as the Minister mentioned earlier, and build a new industry with long-term jobs along our coast. We have seen the success of onshore and of solar throughout the country and the expertise we have garnered in those two key areas. However, to realise the ambition, we need urgency and we need accountability from the various bodies in how projects can move from plans into generating power.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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Regarding MARA, which I established in my previous Ministry, it has statutory timeframes for decision-making. The problem is it is not leading them. That is a problem. It is working towards that. That means the connection policy from EirGrid will also be published on time. I attend the offshore wind energy task force and, for the first time, I brought this sector into the room. Therefore, it is not just Government agencies. We have brought in the development sector and it is at all of the meetings. Instead of people writing back and forth to each other, or attending separate meetings, everything is dealt with in the room. That urgency is there. Certainly, the request for further information from the board, without straying into the planning process, was a frustration but it is an independent process that we need to, and do, respect.

As these come out of planning, our big focus has to be to get them into construction. While we are doing that, we are in the middle of our second auction, which I believe there has been good interest in. I intend to bring the results of that auction, once I receive them, to Cabinet in early December. I think that will show where Ireland is able to be successful with auctions where, unfortunately, other European partners are not at the moment.