Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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116. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will provide an update on the Atlantic Marine Energy Test Site (AMETS) located off Annagh Head, west of Belmullet; when will this site be connected to the national grid given that it is an integral component of Ireland's Ocean Energy Strategy; if this site will be developed in accordance with the national Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan (OREDP); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19779/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Atlantic Marine Energy Test Site (AMETS) is currently being developed by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), with funding provided by my Department, to facilitate testing of full-scale offshore renewable technologies in an open ocean environment. Since the AMETS site was announced in 2010, development of the site has progressed including work on environmental assessments for the site (both onshore and offshore), applications for grid connection, planning permission for the onshore component, foreshore license, and consent applications.

Initially, the AMETS project was intended as a test site for wave energy converter devices. However, the project’s scope has since been expanded to allow for the testing of a range of renewable energy generation technologies, including floating offshore wind. The development of floating offshore wind will be an important step in helping Ireland achieve Government’s 2030 renewable energy generation and emissions reduction targets, as well as Ireland’s longer-term carbon neutrality commitments.

AMETS has a lease for wave energy technology deployment since 2015 and is currently undergoing a project level environmental impact assessment for floating offshore wind. Following the establishment of the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA), the SEAI will be applying for consent to progress works at the site further. Presently, the SEAI are in the final stages of seeking tenders for engineering services associated with onshore substation building works and cable route. The estimated connection date to the national grid will be in the second half of 2026.

Within the draft second Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan (OREDP II), technical assessments have identified significant potential for the generation of offshore renewable energies in the waters around Ireland through the use of wind (floating and fixed), wave, and tidal technologies. Research focussed activities, such as those conducted in Belmullet, play a crucial role in the final test phase of these technologies before their full development and deployment. The AMETS project, when operational, will facilitate testing in the unique and very bespoke conditions of the Atlantic - a harsh environment, high resource location, suitable for many technology types) - thus reducing investor risk and strengthening Ireland as a centre for offshore energy research in Europe.