As Ireland's maritime area is seven times the size of its landmass, and our location is at the edge of the Atlantic, I am critically aware that the potential for offshore renewable energy in Ireland is enormous. The offshore wind delivery task force is central to realising this potential and to meeting our targets. The goal of this task force is to accelerate and drive delivery of offshore wind by public bodies. To achieve this, it is developing a single system-wide plan, bringing together the work ongoing across Government to deliver on our offshore wind ambitions. This includes matters relating to supply chain, ports policy, skills and workforce, and regulatory consenting. I intend to bring this system-wide plan to Government for approval in early 2023.
With respect to work under way in my Department to accelerate delivery of offshore wind, the Government recently approved the terms and conditions for the first offshore wind auction under the renewable electricity support scheme. This is expected to provide a route to market for at least 2.5 GW of offshore renewable energy, ORE. This auction will take place in the first half of 2023. Furthermore, in advance of the establishment of the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority, MARA, in early 2023, I have the legal authority to assess maritime area consent, MAC, applications from a set of prequalified ORE projects. Initial decisions on the first MACs have been issued, with legal documentation now being finalised, which will allow successful projects to apply for planning permission from An Bord Pleanála.
We are on the verge of starting this first auction process through issuing the MACs and then allowing the companies go into this auction process, which was set out last month. Central to this will be the designation by the Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Noonan, of special protection areas, SPAs, and special areas of conservation, SACs. This will allow us to get the environmental planning of this right, in order that we can go into the planning process by the middle of next year, and get projects through that process in timelines that will allow us to deliver power in 2025-26 or to start building power plants in that timeframe.