The Climate Action Plan includes, inter alia, a suite of actions to decarbonise the electricity sector and boost the quantity of renewable generation in order to meet our target of 70% of demand from renewable sources by 2030; the Plan commits to connecting at least 3.5GW of offshore wind by 2030. At present, only offshore renewable energy projects within the limits of the foreshore (12 nautical miles) may be licensed under the Foreshore Act 1933, as amended.
In order to achieve the Climate Action Plan commitment to connect at least 3.5GW of offshore wind by 2030 my Department is working closely with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government on the development of the Marine Planning and Development Management Bill (MPDM). The enactment of the MPDM Bill will provide a modern, up-to-date regulatory and marine planning framework for offshore renewable energy developments beyond the limits of the foreshore (12 nautical miles). This new regime will replace existing State and development consent regimes and streamline arrangements on the basis of a single consent principle. The General Scheme of the Bill was approved by Government on 17 December 2019. It has since been published and, subject to being taken up by the new Dáil, will go to pre-legislative scrutiny as soon as the new Committee structures are set up.
A Working Group on the Framework for Offshore Electricity Grid was established in late 2019. It is chaired by my Department, and its membership includes Eirgrid, the CRU and ESB Networks. The objective of the group is to assess the options available for a suitable offshore grid model for Ireland. On behalf of the group, Eirgrid commissioned Navigant Consultants to deliver an Options Paper to look at how other Member States approach offshore grid planning and using that evidence base, to examine potential approaches that may be suitable for an Irish context. The Working Group have produced a draft Industry Consultation Paper which is due to be published for public consultation shortly. The options paper and feedback from the consultation will serve to inform a Government decision on Offshore Grid Framework in alignment with national policy including the National Marine Planning Framework.
My Department is also developing a new Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) which will assist Ireland in meeting its renewable energy objectives to 2030 by providing supports to a range of technologies including offshore wind projects. Pending state aid clearance, this scheme will include a number of auctions exclusive to offshore wind.
Finally, together with the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, I announced on 19 May the seven offshore renewable energy projects that have been designated as Relevant Projects under the Transition Protocol. These are offshore wind projects that either applied for or were granted a lease under the Foreshore Act 1933, or offshore wind projects that are eligible to be processed to receive a valid grid connection offer. The announcement of the transition of these projects means that they can continue to work and update a number of aspects of their projects so that they will be in a position to apply under the new marine planning regime, once enacted, which will be introduced under the MPDM Bill.
The transition protocol for relevant offshore wind projects is outlined at appendix 4 of the document at the following link:
https://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/2020_01_24_mpdm_faqs_document.pdf
