Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for asking these important questions about offshore wind policy and how it affects the whole country, including her area, Mayo.

Ireland has one of the best offshore renewable energy resources in the world. We have a sea area of 490,000 sq. km, which is about seven times the size of our land area. Because of Ireland's location at the edge of the Atlantic and the EU, we have more energy potential than most countries in Europe. The climate action plan of 2021 includes a suite of actions to realise the full potential of the totality of Ireland's offshore renewable energy resources, and it also commits to the achievement of 5 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030.Our programme for Government sets out a further commitment to develop a long-term plan to harness the estimated potential of at least 30 GW of offshore floating wind power in our Atlantic waters, which could enable Ireland to become a major regional generator and exporter of offshore renewable energy.

The 5 GW target will be primarily met through the development of offshore renewable energy in Ireland's eastern and southern coastal regions. This reflects the suitability of water depths in these regions for the deployment of conventional fixed bottom offshore wind turbines and existing electricity grid infrastructure to connect these projects to the onshore grid. Subsequent cost-effective deployment of renewables in deeper waters off the west coast, in order to take advantage of greater wind resources, should be increasingly feasible through future advances in floating turbine technology.

The national marine planning framework, NMPF, was published in 2021 and brings together all marine-based human activities for the first time, outlining the Government's vision, objectives and marine planning policies for each marine activity, including port activity and offshore renewable energy. The Maritime Area Planning Act was enacted in late 2021 and provides the legal underpinning to an entirely new marine planning system, which will balance harnessing our huge offshore wind potential, while protecting our rich and unique marine environment.

An eight-week MAC application window for the first batch of projects, known as the phase 1 projects, coming in under the new regime was opened on 25 April 2022 and will close on 22 June 2022, with the first MACs expected to be granted in quarter 3 of 2022. The first phase of offshore wind in Ireland will be necessary, but not sufficient, to reach our 2030, 5 GW ambition. An additional phase is required, comprising projects which can deliver by 2030 and before we complete the transition to a plan-led enduring regime.

The Department is currently reviewing submissions on a recent consultation to gather views on the scale, make-up and sequencing of phase 2 of offshore wind deployment. A new offshore renewable energy development plan, OREDP Il, will be published in the first quarter of 2023. It will assess Ireland's offshore energy resource potential, including for floating wind off the west coast, and will provide an evidence base for the identification of the areas most suitable for the sustainable development of fixed and floating wind, wave and tidal technologies in the Irish exclusive economic zone, while also considering other maritime activities and marine biodiversity.

The OREDP Il, along with a planned economic analysis, will set out the pathway for the long-term sustainable development of offshore renewable energy beyond 2030. This plan will provide a framework for the future sustainable development of Ireland's ORE resources.

A cross-departmental offshore wind delivery task force has been established to drive delivery and capture wider and longer-term economic and business opportunities associated with the development of offshore renewables in Ireland. This will include the identification of supporting infrastructure development and supply chain opportunities as Ireland's offshore wind industry is developed. The development of offshore renewable energy in Ireland will bring us closer to achieving our energy and climate goals, reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuels and increasing our security and diversity of energy supply.