Minister Ryan launches consultation on the ‘Future Framework’ for offshore wind energy

The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, today welcomed the opening of a consultation on the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Future Framework Policy Statement. The Future Framework is the long-term model and vision for offshore renewable energy in Ireland. It sets out the pathway Ireland will take to deliver 20GW of offshore wind by 2040 and at least 37GW in total by 2050.

Importantly, this framework looks beyond 2030 targets to secure 5GW of offshore wind and 2GW earmarked for the production of green hydrogen. Renewable wind energy is central to Ireland and Europe's decarbonisation and economic plans and is potentially the largest domestic source of electricity that can replace volatile, imported fossil fuels.

The Future Framework includes 21 key actions to develop Ireland’s long-term, plan-led approach to offshore wind. The aim of this targeted consultation is to engage stakeholders and gather valuable feedback that will inform and shape a final version of the ORE Future Framework.

This policy statement is built on an analysis of economic opportunities to encourage investment and maximise the financial and economic return of offshore renewable energy to the State and local communities. It also explores the potential to export excess renewable energy through increased interconnection, and analyses opportunities for using excess renewable energy for alternative energy products and services that can be fed into international markets. This includes renewable hydrogen and chemicals such as ammonia or methanol, which can be used instead of carbon-intense fuels in the aviation and maritime industries.

Welcoming the consultation, Minister Ryan said:

A final version of the Offshore Renewable Energy Future Framework will be approved by government and co-published with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment’s National Industrial Strategy for Offshore Wind in the spring.

For information on how to make a submission to the consultation please go to the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications website.

Publication of ORE Market and Export Potential Economic Analysis by AFRY Managing Consultants and BVG Associates

To accompany the consultation on the Future Framework Policy Statement, an economic market analysis on the viability of ORE targets and potential export opportunities has also been published today. The reports, which were produced by AFRY Managing Consultants and BVG Associates, focus on five areas: market analysis; interconnection; renewable hydrogen; export viability; and societal return. To view the reports, please go to the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications website.

Publication of SEA/AA reports for the Future Framework Policy Statement

The reports of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Appropriate Assessment (AA) of the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Future Framework Policy Statement, conducted by Mace Consultancy Ltd, have also been published today. To view the reports, please go to the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications website.

Ireland’s offshore wind ambitions

The Irish government has been accelerating policy on renewable offshore wind energy. In mid-2021, the government launched the National Marine Planning Framework (NMPF), which is Ireland’s first comprehensive marine spatial planning framework. The Maritime Area Planning (MAP) Act 2021 was enacted in December 2021, which established a new licensing and development management regime in the maritime area, administered by a new Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) in conjunction with An Bord Pleanála, which is facilitating the development of offshore energy.

In 2022, the Maritime Area Consent (MAC) regime was established under the MAP Act 2021. Following a comprehensive assessment process, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications issued Maritime Area Consents (MACs) to seven offshore renewable energy projects in December 2021, which enabled these projects to begin their pre-planning application engagement with An Bord Pleanála and to participate in Ireland’s first offshore wind auction.

In May 2023, the results of Ireland’s first offshore wind auction, ORESS 1, underscored the State’s ambitions within offshore renewable wind energy. The highly competitive price secured — at an average of €86.05/MWh (megawatt hour) — is one of the lowest prices paid by an emerging offshore wind market in the world. Over 3GW of capacity has been procured from four offshore wind projects under ORESS1, which will deliver over 12TWh (Terawatt hours) of renewable electricity per year. This is the largest volume of renewable energy Ireland has ever procured at auction. It is also enough to power over 2.5 million Irish homes with clean electricity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 1 million tonnes by 2030.

Ireland has now moved to a plan-led approach to deliver our offshore wind targets. The government is delivering our climate and energy ambitions for offshore wind energy through a number of overlapping phases:

• Phase One, which corresponds to the first offshore renewable electricity auction (ORESS 1)
• Phase Two, an accelerated work programme, focusing on near-term delivery based on technology with proven scalability in other jurisdictions, and which will procure the additional offshore wind capacity required to meet Government’s 2030 target
• the fully plan-led Future Framework

Schedule of offshore wind auctions to 2030 and beyond

In November 2023, as part of a coordinated launch with member countries of the North Seas Energy Cooperation (NSEC), Ireland published a schedule of offshore wind auctions to 2030, totalling over 13GW of capacity to be deployed by 2040. This is in addition to the 3GW awarded in Ireland’s first offshore wind auction, ORESS 1, and exclusive to the maritime basins within the NSEC area (the Irish and Celtic Seas).

Ireland’s total offshore wind target for 2040 (including the Atlantic Basin) remains 20GW. Ireland plans to meet this through competitive processes in the period up to 2030, with related construction taking place up to 2040.

The government’s indicative roadmap towards the State’s next offshore wind auction

To accompany the publication of the NSEC auction timetable in November 2023, the Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce published an ‘indicative roadmap’ outlining a timetable towards Ireland’s next offshore wind energy auction — ORESS 2.1. To align with available onshore grid capacity, ORESS 2.1 will take place off Ireland’s south coast and will procure up to 900MW of offshore wind. The roadmap sets out a number of steps towards Ireland’s next offshore wind auction, which are modelled on several different scenarios. Further information on the ORESS 2.1 roadmaps is available on gov.ie/OffshoreEnergyORESS.

National Industrial Strategy for Offshore Wind

The development of a National Industrial Strategy for Offshore Wind was approved by a government decision in May 2023. The overarching objective of the strategy will be to ensure that Ireland maximises the economic benefits associated with government targets to deliver 37GW of offshore wind by 2050. A strategic roadmap will be published in the first half of 2024 to coincide with the publication of the Future Framework.

The first strategic roadmap will focus on:

• supply chains: Identification of measures to maximise Ireland’s participation in domestic and international offshore wind energy supply chains, including an assessment of risks and opportunities
• research, development and investment (RD&I): Setting out the main opportunities for Ireland in leveraging its intrinsic innovation potential as a small, open economy with very strong RD&I pedigree. The ambition is to develop a globally recognised RD&I ecosystem in Ireland to promote collaboration between SMEs, multinationals, and further and higher education institutes

Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce

The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications chairs the Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce, which is coordinating the full range of activities required to maximise the economic benefits of offshore wind development to the State. This includes a dedicated workstream for skills and workforce requirements, which is co-owned by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. The workstream involves close engagement with industry, through Wind Energy Ireland and Green Tech Skillnet. The main goal of this workstream is to support the development of offshore wind through the establishment of a sustainable workforce and skills pipeline. In Budget 2024, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science secured €200,000 for the development of skills for our offshore wind resource.

The taskforce also includes a dedicated workstream on maritime transport and commercial ports policy, with participants from the Department of Transport. This workstream is focused on facilitating the development of offshore wind infrastructure to maximise the use of five Irish commercial State ports: Dublin; Waterford; Rosslare Europort; Port of Cork; and Shannon Foynes Port Company.

Climate Action Plan 2024

Climate Action Plan 2024 was approved by Government in December 2023, subject to public consultation and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). The public consultation will open shortly.

Climate Action Plan 2024 is the third annual update to Ireland’s Climate Action Plan 2019. This plan is the second to be prepared under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021 and following the introduction of economy-wide Carbon Budgets and Sectoral Emissions Ceilings. The implementation of the Climate Action Plan will create jobs, new economic opportunities and protect people and the planet.

You can access Climate Action Plan 2024 and its annex of actions on the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications website.

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