Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 March 2023
149. Deputy John Paul Phelan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his personal views on wave power in Ireland; if a policy around this type of renewable energy exists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10719/23]
View answerThe Government is delivering on our climate and energy ambitions for offshore renewable energy through a number of phased developments. The draft Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan II (OREDP II) is Ireland’s new national spatial strategy for our offshore renewable energy future. Public consultation opened on the draft plan on Friday 24 February and will run until 20 April 2023. The OREDP II is one of the key building blocks for delivering on the long-term enduring regime for offshore renewable energy, which encompasses the Government ambition to develop 2GW floating energy for green hydrogen and at least 30GW floating energy beyond 2030. The enduring regime is the long-term vision for how the State will develop on our significant renewable energy potential to deliver benefits for all.
The OREDP II sets out what we know about our maritime space at a national level and proposes an approach to identifying the best locations for renewable energy technologies. It has updated the assessment of the potential we have for wind, wave and tidal technologies and it has assessed other factors important in determining optimal locations for offshore renewable energy.
Wave energy technologies are currently at the pre-commercial and demonstration phase. There is yet to be consolidation in wave energy conversion technologies, with many different solutions being pursued in the market. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) is commencing work on behalf of my Department on Technology Roadmap Assessments which will inform future updates to the OREDP and development of policy for wave technology.
The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) offers a number of supports to the wave and tidal energy industries, including a joint SEAI-UCC industry access programme that provides fully-funded access to the UCC MaREI Lir National Ocean Test Facility, in addition to running calls for Research Development and Demonstration Funding.
