Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 March 2024
326. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to outline the presence, if any, he or his Departmental officials will have at the Wind Europe annual event in Bilbao, Spain from 20-22 March 2024; his Department’s proposed contribution to the event; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12007/24]
View answerWindEurope is one of the largest gathering of Europe’s wind industry with over 12,000 attendees and over 500 exhibitors expected to attend the event in Bilbao this March. I understand over 16,000 people attended the same event in Copenhagen last year. This event offers a huge opportunity for Ireland to announce our plans in relation to offshore wind, including the recently published Powering Prosperity – Ireland’s Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy, and will be critical in helping us attract investment needed to meet Ireland's offshore targets and to maximise the economic and social benefits to Ireland as a result.
As such, officials from my Department’s Offshore Wind Strategy Unit will attend the event given the large number of attendees expected and the importance of the event in highlighting Ireland’s offshore ambitions to the rest of the world. Attendance at WindEurope directly relates to action 20 in Powering Prosperity, which is to “Promote Ireland as a high potential OWE market through ministerial trade missions and active participation in international conferences, trade shows and other major OWE sectoral events, including though engagement with industry representative bodies.”
My officials will be joined by representatives from the all-of-Government Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce (OWDT), which includes representation from DECC, D/Transport, IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, SEAI, as well as those working in the Irish wind industry at an Ireland Pavilion at the event
Officials will perform a number of tasks at WindEurope such as visiting a nearby floating offshore wind demonstrator site, attending relevant conference sessions to build our knowledge and expertise in this area, and meeting with stakeholders across the offshore wind sector including a range of companies and delegations from other like-minded countries. Furthermore, officials will be available at the Ireland Pavilion throughout the event including at a reception to discuss Ireland’s long-term offshore wind plans with other representatives from the OWDT, where my officials will speak on the Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy.
