Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 March 2021
58. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if clarification will be provided in relation to the proposed Marine Planning and Development Management Bill; his plans to set up a State or semi-State body to harvest off-shore wind energy for the benefit of the State and to aIl of its climate targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13281/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe enactment of the Marine Planning and Development Management Bill (MPDM) will provide a modern, up-to-date regulatory and marine planning framework for offshore renewable energy (ORE) developments beyond the limits of the foreshore, with flexibility in terms of the State’s involvement in the deployment of ORE to allow for a gradual transition from a more decentralised / developer-led regime towards a more centralised / plan-led regime.
Development of the Bill is being led by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, with my Department leading the development of provisions specific to offshore renewable energy. The General Scheme was approved by Government in December 2019. The Bill underwent pre-legislative scrutiny in November / December 2020 and the report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee was laid before the Houses on the 16th of February. Consideration of the report and recommendations is currently in progress.
The electricity generation market in Ireland, the Single Electricity Market (SEM), is liberalised and open to both state-owned and private enterprises to compete in line with the requirements of the EU internal energy market. As such, while state-owned bodies may own and operate offshore wind developments, these bodies do so on a commercial basis. ESB is already involved in a number of ventures in offshore wind generation asset development. In order to avoid undermining the competitive principles of the I-SEM, the State does not directly own or operate, or plan to own or operate, any such generation assets.
Instead, to progress towards the Programme for Government commitment of 5GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030, my department is developing the terms and conditions of the Offshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (Offshore RESS). The Offshore RESS will be the means for supporting offshore wind developments via a competitive auction based framework.
