Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 April 2022
152. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the reason for the low investment to date in offshore wind energy in the State; the steps that he will take to ensure targets for offshore renewable are met given recent comments by industry representatives regarding planning delays; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18782/22]
View answerMy Department has made significant recent progress in developing a robust regulatory regime for offshore renewable energy. The Maritime Area Planning (MAP) Act 2021 was a significant milestone to enable development of this sector, providing certainty for offshore wind energy projects, which involve substantial levels of up-front investment. Ahead of the establishment of the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) in early 2023, the legislation provides, on an interim basis, the legal authority for the Minister of the Environment, Climate and Communications, to assess Maritime Area Consent (MAC) applications from a set of pre-qualified offshore renewable energy developers. I recently announced the launch of this application window, which will open on 25 April for an 8-week period. The first MACs are expected to be issued in the second half of 2022. The process will assess applicants in key areas, including financial and technical competency. This will ensure that only the most viable offshore projects can apply for permission from An Bord Pleanála. This approach ensures that immediate progress can be made in progressing offshore wind energy, while MARA is being established and takes over MAC responsibility from early 2023. The levelised cost of energy produced by offshore wind has fallen steadily over the past decade, driven in part by technological advances and competitive auction pressures, but also by scale increases in both offshore turbines and the quantity of turbines.A cross-Departmental Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce is being 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.
