The commercial development of a proposed large scale wind-farm on the Arklow Banks is primarily a matter for the project developers. A proposal for a smaller phase 1 project of 25 megawatts (MW) on the same site has been submitted into the offshore wind category of round 6 of the Alternative Energy Requirement support programme (AER 6), operated by my Department. Evaluation of applications in this category by my Department is currently ongoing which precludes me from commenting on the project.
Currently Ireland has over one thousand Megawatts of renewable capacity connected. This consists of approximately 793 MW of wind powered plant, 236 MW of hydro powered plant with the balance (c. 34 MW) made up of different biomass technologies. Grid connections are awarded by EirGrid and ESB Networks. The network operators are overseen by the Commission for Energy Regulation. Currently there is over 3,000 MW of renewable generation in the grid connection application process, the vast bulk of which is wind-powered technology.
The accelerated development of renewable energy technologies and the realisation of commercial projects both onshore and offshore will be critical to meeting our objectives for security of supply sustainability and a low carbon future.