Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 25 January 2024
137. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the timeline he has set for legislation and regulations to be enacted to allow off-shore wind energy projects to be installed off the coast of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2963/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraTo capitalise on the considerable resource potential of our marine area, Government has adopted a phased approach to offshore renewable energy development, with the overarching objective of achieving 5 GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030 and a net zero economy by 2050.
The Maritime Area Planning (MAP) Act, passed in December 2021, enables a modern, streamlined marine consenting system for offshore infrastructure, including offshore renewable energy. In 2022, per the provisions of the Act, I awarded the first Maritime Area Consents (MACs) to the the seven most advanced offshore wind projects in Ireland. This cohort of projects is referred to collectively as Phase 1 and totals approximately 4.2GW of capacity. The awarding of MACs enabled these projects to participate in our first offshore wind auction last year, known as ORESS 1, which successfully procured over 3GW at a highly competitive price of €86.05/MWh. The unsuccessful projects in this auction now have a time-limited opportunity to secure alternative routes to market.
The MAP Act also enables our transition to a plan-led offshore wind system for our next phase of deployment, Phase Two, and beyond. In particular, it enabled the preparation of Designated Maritime Area Plans (DMAPs), as well as the establishment of the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) in 2023. The first DMAP is proposed to be located off the South Coast of Ireland. This DMAP Proposal has been the subject of intensive public engagement over the latter half of 2023 and will shortly be refined to a Draft DMAP which will include specific areas proposed for future offshore renewable energy development by 2030 and post-2030, and the consenting of these areas will be managed by MARA.. The Draft DMAP will undergo a statutory public engagement phase in the coming months, ahead of submission for Government and Oireachtas approval.
The final phase of offshore wind deployment is referred to as the Future Framework, which will set out the pathway Ireland will take to deliver 20GW of offshore wind by 2040 and at least 37GW in total by 2050. The Future Framework policy will be consulted upon in the coming weeks before publication this Spring, contingent on Government approval.
