Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach's office for selecting this Commencement matter today. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, to the House. I am raising this issue for two reasons. First, our climate action plan has ambitions in respect of the need to reduce the use of fossil fuels, particularly in energy production. The ambition is to generate significant renewable energy from wind, with a major focus of the plan being to decarbonise the electricity system and to generate 80% of electricity using renewable energy by 2030. The second reason I am raising the issue relates to the concerns over short-term, medium-term and long-term energy supply and security in this country. We know that there are concerns around the necessary and increasing use of electricity as our economy continues to grow and prosper. We are aware of the challenges that puts on the system over time. It is important that we ensure we have short-term, medium-term and long-term solutions on energy supply. The Government is acting on that.

The generation of wind energy, particularly off the west coast, has been discussed. The idea has been supported across these Houses and has received support among the general public. It is a no-brainer and a game changer, and it is necessary for us to reach our climate change targets. The Maritime Area Planning Bill 2021 passed all Stages in the Oireachtas in December of last year. It establishes in law a new planning regime for the maritime area that will enable the development of offshore energy. The Maritime Area Regulatory Authority, MARA, now has to be established. I understand that its administrative headquarters will be in County Wexford. MARA will be tasked with regulating development consent and planning for new wind projects. At present, it can take up to eight years to deliver these projects. That is too long. Clearly, the public has an interest in many aspects of offshore wind projects, including the impact on the fishing sector, the location of cables when they come ashore, environmental studies and impact assessments, and foreshore licensing. Consent around the various aspects of these projects takes a certain period of time. The planning takes time. There is a bit of confusion around the current system of planning and consent for offshore wind projects. I ask the Minister of State to outline the timeframe for the establishment of MARA, the process and timelines for the consent, licensing and approval of offshore wind projects, and the level and type of statutory engagement envisaged for offshore wind projects. That is clearly important.There has to be a continued role for people who have legitimate and not vexatious concerns in respect of any project and that there is a process there with which they can engage with the Department and with the regulatory authority. Concerns have already been expressed by fishermen, for example, in respect of the impact of the construction and operation of wind farms and projects on the west coast of Ireland that might impact on fish movements, and everything else that goes with that. It is important that there is clarity on what the present process is for major wind farm projects and the timelines that they will go through to deliver their projects. There is general acceptance of the need for offshore wind projects. That is not to say that there are not concerns and that there will not be objections and challenges to the process. Perhaps the Minister of State may be able to outline the process as it stands to the House, please.

Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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I thank Senator Kyne for his question. Ireland has one of the best offshore renewable energy resources in the world with a sea area of 490,000 sq. km, which is approximately seven times the size of our landmass. Because of Ireland's location at the Atlantic edge of the EU, we have more offshore energy potential than most other countries in Europe.

The Climate Action Plan 2021 includes a suite of actions to realise the full potential of the totality of Ireland's offshore renewable energy resources and commits to the achievement of 5 GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030. Our programme for Government sets out a further commitment to develop a longer-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 Maritime Area Planning Act 2021 was enacted in December last year, establishing the legal framework for a new planning system for the maritime area. One of the main features of the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021 is the creation of a new State consent, the maritime area consent or MAC, as a first step in a new and streamlined planning process.

The Maritime Area Planning Act also provides for the establishment of a new agency to regulate development in the maritime area, which is to be called the maritime area regulatory authority, MARA. MARA will have four key roles, namely, granting of all maritime area consents for the maritime area; granting maritime licences for specific scheduled activities, including environmental surveys; ensuring robust compliance and enforcement measures; and managing the existing State foreshore portfolio of leases and licences

Prior to the establishment of MARA and to make achievement of our 2030 targets feasible, a pathway was provided to enable a select number of projects which had advanced under the existing foreshore regime to transition to the new maritime area planning regime.

Under the Maritime Area Planning Act, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications is responsible for assessing and granting maritime area consents for a first batch of offshore projects. Those are the projects which satisfy the definition of "relevant maritime usage", under the legislation.

The maritime area consent regime assesses the viability of proposed offshore renewable energy developers in a number of key areas, including in respect of their financial and technical competency. The robust assessment of potential offshore developers who apply for a maritime area consent will ensure that only the most viable offshore projects will have the opportunity to apply for development permission from An Bord Pleanála.

On 25 April 2022, an eight-week window opened for maritime area consent applications from projects satisfying the definition of "relevant maritime usage". The first maritime area consents are expected to be issued in the second half of this year. This will mark an important step towards reaching our 2030 targets.

After the assessment and grant of the first batch of offshore renewable energy projects, responsibility will be transferred over to the maritime area regulatory authority. It will be established and operational from next year. The establishment of this authority is one of the highest priorities for the Government.

Projects which obtain a MAC will still be required to apply for all of the requisite consents and planning permission and will be subject to the full environmental assessment and public participation procedures by An Bord Pleanála.

A new offshore renewable energy development plan, OREDP Il, will be published in early 2023. The OREDP Il will assess Ireland's offshore energy resource potential, including for floating wind power generation 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 offshore renewable energy resources.

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.

Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for the comprehensive response and I welcome that MARA will be operational from next year. It will have a body of work to do on new applications which are made for wind energy. I also welcome that there will be, if I can put it like this, a screening of those projects which are going to be developed and a robust assessment of the potential offshore developments which apply, whereby only the most viable offshore projects will have the opportunity to apply for development permission from An Bord Pleanála. Can the Minister of State provide further information on what statutory role and at what stage will MARA engage in consultation with stakeholders? That is a key part. At what stage also will the developer of the offshore wind project have to engage with communities? Is a list available to the public of the current projects that the Minister will be assessing and making decisions on by the end of this year?

Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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One of the main things is that our planning process at the moment is lengthy, as has been pointed out by the Senator. It needs to be compressed if we are going to meet our targets and if we are going to deal with the energy crisis that is happening across Europe. The EU has agreed under the REPowerEU proposals to compress the planning period down to a maximum of two years for major renewable projects and then to one year for particular go-to zones which each member state must designate as being areas where rapid development of offshore energy is to take place. I expect that the process of obtaining all of the consents, particularly the planning consents, is going to be speeded up.

MARA is separate from the planning process and is being established to replace the former regime for any type of offshore planning consents that were granted in the past. These were covered, in other words, by the Foreshore Acts dating back to the 1930s. This was a lengthy and not very streamlined system. The idea is that MARA will be a modern version or replacement for those Foreshore Acts and will involve ensuring that the projects are compliant, suitable, properly financed and technically viable.

It has not been fully decided at this stage what types of benefits are available for communities and this will be subject to public consultation. It is clear that for major renewable projects to succeed, however, they must have the consent not only of the authorities but of the public and that members of the public buy in to the fact that this is giving a direct benefit to their local communities. It is going to be important that there will be large, substantial and obvious benefits from any renewable energy project.