Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 June 2023
78. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications in relation to offshore wind, when the individual parts of the planning-led system, including designated maritime area plans, DMAPs, will be made publicly available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28755/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am looking for a timeline and information as to when the planning-led system in respect of offshore wind will be completely in place. I refer to the entire framework, including all of the individual parts and the DMAPs. We are moving from one system to another and the stakeholders involved in possible proposals for offshore wind projects are not entirely sure where they will be able to build, propose projects or anything like that. We need that delivered as soon as possible.
The national marine planning framework was adopted by the Government in 2021 as Ireland's first marine spatial plan. Later in 2021, the Maritime Area Planning Act was enacted.
Under the Maritime Area Planning Act, a new maritime area consent, MAC, regime for offshore energy projects was developed over the course of 2022 by my Department. I awarded MACs to seven phase-one projects in December 2022. I have already welcomed the provisional results of the first offshore wind auction under the renewable electricity support scheme, ORESS 1, which surpassed expectations. More than 3 GW of capacity has been procured from four offshore wind projects, which will deliver over a quarter of the projected 2030 electricity demand. It is enough to power more than 2.5 million Irish homes with clean electricity and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 1 million tonnes in 2030.
The Government approved the policy statement on the framework for phase two offshore wind in March this year. The Government's commitments on offshore renewable energy, set out in the phase two policy statement, were approved by the Dáil on 24 May. Within phase two, auction participants will compete for supports to develop offshore wind within offshore renewable energy designated maritime area plans, DMAPs. The process for establishing a DMAP is provided for in the Maritime Area Planning Act. The location of phase two DMAPs will be geographically aligned with available onshore grid capacity identified by EirGrid. A south coast DMAP is being developed by my officials, in collaboration with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, which will be published this summer. This transition to a plan-led approach will expedite future delivery of offshore wind, while ensuring that development is managed in a planned, strategic and sustainable way.
What we all want here is a fit-for-purpose system. I think we all buy into the idea of a planning-led, rather than a developer-led, approach. It is about ensuring that we have all the parts in play. There is a secondary question that I will put to the Minister in relation to any future auctions or whatever. As I said, we need to make sure we meet those targeted timelines in relation to delivering the DMAPs so people are aware of the area of operations. As regards tendering for projects, will we be taking into account anything beyond the cost price, as important as that is? Will we be taking into account community interaction and, even beyond that, the ability to deliver the project? At this point in time, does it look like we are heading towards being able to hit the target of producing 7 GW by 2030?
I believe we can, and will. It is not just 2030 that is the key milestone. The reality is that the real big prize is a significant development on the west, north-west and south-west coasts, in our sea areas and sometimes our land areas, where we have some of the highest wind speeds in the world. The development of these coasts is very important. We need that to help power our economy and our country, and to help lower the cost of energy. It is very welcome that we now have greater clarity that the auction process works and that we can go further. The biggest constraint, in much of this, is environmental planning. Environmental planning is very complex. We do not have a strong record in that area in this country historically. We have not put sufficient resources into the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS. In Europe, we were rightly held up for not having all the required designated wildlife areas on land and at sea. The process is still ongoing and we have to manage the development of offshore winds within that. Often, there are complex competing objectives in terms of maritime environmental protection, climate advance and so on. I believe we can get that right. As we ramp up the NPWS and start to take our environment and the designation of areas within that much more seriously, that will allow us to meet the big long-term objectives.
I agree our planning concerns have not exactly been where they should have been over many years. We need to make sure we have all the resources necessary to ensure we have the correct oversight. Another question has been raised again in relation to planning. We all know the planning difficulties we have across the board. Are we going to have sufficient resources not only in the maritime area regulatory authority, MARA, but also in An Bord Pleanála, to make sure there is not a hold up from the point of view of the State. We are all aware checks and balances are needed, but we also need to be able to deliver on big projects if we have any chance of delivering across the board. There are also wider questions to be answered. The Minister should feel free to correct me, but are we talking about the DMAPs and everything across the board being published by the end of the summer? Is that it? It is about making sure we have those pieces in place and that the ports are up the spec to be able to deliver. Beyond that, we need to ensure An Bord Pleanála is resourced and that we have the required grid infrastructure. We must be sufficiently imaginative, because we know we can change the energy map for Europe. We all know the advantages of that from a climate change and energy security point of view.
I know from hearing from the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage today that quite a lot of resources are being put into trying to tackle those planning uncertainties. However, it remains a concern, as Deputy Ó Murchú said. I also want to ask about the position in relation to ports and whether we are capable of supporting the offshore development. Where are we on developing a strategy to respond to what is criticism from the sector of our preparedness on that front?
We are not alone in this complex issue. When I talk to my German, Dutch, Belgium and British colleagues, I note that every one of them faces the similar constraint issue. They also have the issue of the optimisation of various competing environmental objectives. The European Commission increasingly recognises that. We have to optimise where we develop offshore wind and ensure the wider environment is protected. I think we can do that.
The development of offshore wind will be really good for the restoration of the maritime areas. Taking the Irish Sea, for example, we have destroyed the Irish Sea over many decades with the loss of fishing stocks, mussel and oyster beds. Looking at what has been lost in the Irish Sea, the restoration of wind power will see the restoration of the environment of the ecosystems in the Irish Sea, as well as in other waters. There are six institutional areas where we have to increase and invest to be able to get this right. We have started this work in my Department since Deputy Bruton's time there. It is no criticism of the Deputy when he was Minister, but the Department has doubled in size in the intervening period. There is a recognition in government, as there was in the previous one, that it takes time for this to ramp up. We have doubled in scale and in the energy area, in particular, the work has been scaled up significantly. An Bord Pleanála is fully resourced and fully complemented. If any request is made by An Bord Pleanála for further resources, I will be the first in government to insist that they are they are provided.
To finish the point, I could say the same for MARA, NPWS, EirGrid and a range of different agencies. The constraint is often not so much in budget or Government commitment. As so many people are now working and interested in this area, the challenge is to get good people who are going into the private sector as well as into the public sector. Our biggest challenge is not the money, but getting the people.
