Róisín Garvey (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stait go dtí an Teach. I welcome the motion. It is great to see progress finally being made. What is envisaged should probably have happened about 20 years ago. The Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, has been pushing for this for a long time. What is envisaged will hopefully lead to our becoming energy independent and self-sufficient country. Not only that, Ireland will hopefully become a net exporter of energy, which would be great.

The motion is required in order for the Minister to finalise the designated maritime area plan. These are the plans required for the creation of offshore wind farms in particular areas and show compliance with relevant legislation, such as the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021. The DMAP is a significant step forward in the realisation of Ireland's huge offshore wind generation potential. This type of generation will help us to decarbonise our economy and electrify every aspect of our lives, from cars to home heating, by 2035. It would mean an to the huge hikes in energy prices of the type we have seen in recent years due to the war in Ukraine and other issues that are outside our control. We will finally be able to control our energy source and the cost of energy. In Government, the Minister, Deputy Ryan, has completed public consultations, created the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority, passed necessary legislation and held the first auctions for companies to start construction and then production of immense amounts of clean, green energy off our coasts. The passage of this motion will allow for the continued certainty and planning for the deployment of wind energy off Ireland's south coast, allowing us to start tapping the almost limitless free, clean energy that can be generated there. It is envisioned that we will be generating 37 GW of capacity from our offshore wind assets by 2050, which will make us a major energy player on the European grid and a world leader in offshore generation. This is a positive motion.

Ireland is now in compliance with almost all the relevant EU law on marine development, from the marine strategy framework directive to the maritime spatial planning directive. A great deal of this work has been brought across the line by the Green Party Minister, Deputy Ryan, and the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, building on the work of previous Governments. Initial public consultation and public meetings took place in May and June 2023 with events in counties Cork, Wexford and Waterford and three online webinars. Public consultation events took place throughout southern counties between August and October of last year, particularly in areas with large numbers of people working in the fishing industry. This was followed by a statutory consultation, a meeting of the southern regional assembly, meetings with affected councils and even a briefing for TDs in May this year. There has been a major level of consultation. I say that lest we are accused of rushing things forward - as is often the case - despite hundreds of hours of consultation and work taking place.

If approved by the Oireachtas, what is proposed in the motion will represent a landmark event in forward spatial planning in this country. It will signal a fundamental change in how we manage and plan our extensive maritime area. Protecting the marine environment and biodiversity while supporting citizens reliant on the sea for their livelihoods has been central to the creation of this draft plan. This is mainly because the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, who is probably the number one protector of marine life and biodiversity on land, has been working hand in hand with the Minister, Deputy Ryan, on this. It has also been established in co-operation with local communities along the south coast through extensive, wide-reaching and effective consultation.

A further pivotal moment in our clean energy transition was signalled by the results of Ireland's first offshore wind auction in 2023. This auction procured more than 3,000 MW of potential future offshore wind capacity to power 2.5 million Irish homes with green, secure and affordable energy.

Overall, the motion is welcome. I hope it gets the support of the entire House. Who does not want our island to be energy self-sufficient? It is a long time coming. It is great that we have pushed it forward this far and our colleagues in Government have supported us in the work we have been doing on this.

I have two questions for the Minister of State. There is a marine protected areas Bill due. How will this dovetail with the legislation on marine protected areas? Until we have the marine protected areas completely defined, we have to make sure we put the right wind farms in the right places. I am from County Clare. We have Moneypoint, with lots of already existing infrastructure and good grid connection. Will the Minister of State provide update on what is happening with regard to offshore wind generation in County Clare?