Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The results of Ireland’s first offshore wind auction, ORESS 1, earlier this year were hugely positive, both in terms of the volume procured, over 3GW, and the average price secured, at €86.05 per megawatt hour, which is one of the lowest prices paid by an emerging offshore wind market in the world. The capacity procured in ORESS 1 will go a long way to ensuring that we achieve our Climate Action Plan targets for 2030 of at least 5 GW of offshore wind and 80% of our electricity demand met by renewable energy sources.

In line with Government’s Phase Two Policy for offshore wind, we will accelerate towards our 2030 targets via a plan-led system. The design of auctions in Phase Two will therefore differ in some key respects from ORESS 1. In particular, development will take place exclusively within the Designated Maritime Area Plans (DMAPs), as public consulted upon and approved by Government and the Oireachtas. This change prompts a number of further auction design changes, which my Department consulted upon over the summer. The responses to this consultation are currently being assessed and will inform the drafting of ORESS 2 terms and conditions.

ORESS 2.1 will be the first Phase Two auction and will award support for offshore wind generation within the South Coast DMAP Proposal area. This DMAP is undergoing a statutory development process which is planned to complete in Q1 2024. ORESS 2.1 cannot take place until this process is completed. However appreciating the need to provide as much clarity to all stakeholders as soon as possible, the Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce, chaired by my Department, is coordinating all relevant Government Departments and agencies towards providing an indicative ORESS 2.1 timeline in the coming months.