Department releases critical geophysical data for State’s second offshore wind auction

Following the government’s recent approval of the agreed terms for Ireland’s second offshore wind auction, ORESS ‘‘Tonn Nua’’, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications has now made critical geophysical data sets available. These datasets will support prospective auction participants in their analysis to better inform and de-risk bid preparations.

The announcement comes as momentum continues to grow in the offshore renewables energy (ORE) sector with thousands of delegates gathering in Dublin for the two-day Wind Energy Trade Show, which opened on 6 November. The Tonn Nua auction terms and conditions were agreed on 30 October 2024 as the government continues to accelerate policy in the ORE space.

The data release also follows the recent Oireachtas approval of the State’s first spatial plan for ORE development — the South Coast Designated Maritime Area Plan (SC DMAP). Tonn Nua will be the first ORE auction to be held within a DMAP. Along with the Tonn Nua auction site, the SC DMAP identifies four maritime areas off the south coast in which ORE development will take place over the next decade. All four maritime areas are located off the Cork, Waterford and Wexford coast. This approach offers further certainty to ORE developers by ensuring that future ORE windfarm developments will be led by maritime spatial plans identified by Government and approved by the Oireachtas. It also protects the marine environment and supports citizens reliant on the sea. Tonn Nua will procure 900 megawatts of clean energy from a site off coast of County Waterford, with auction bidding process expected to take place early next year.

Eamon Ryan, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications said:

"The recent announcements on our next offshore wind auction, including the release of this geophysical data, is a strong signal that Government is determined to deliver our very ambitious offshore renewable energy targets.

“Ireland has enormous offshore wind potential, and along with delivering cleaner and more secure energy to our homes and businesses, renewable energy projects are poised to revolutionise our economy, offering significant regional and national economic benefits. Our first offshore auction in 2023 overperformed all expectations and I have every confidence that we will continue to build of its success.”

ENDS

Notes to the Editor

Geophysical survey

Data is critical to advancing Irelands renewable energy goals and securing its energy future. Ireland has ambitious offshore renewable energy targets and the meeting of these targets hinges on comprehensive data and surveys to assess site feasibility, environmental impacts, and logistical considerations. Geophysical survey data is required to determine the bathymetry, assess the seabed and sub-bottom conditions, identify seabed characteristics including soil type and sub-bottom geohazards and terrain models. Geophysical surveys may also inform optimal placement of turbines. Following a 6-week public consultation, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, through the Marine Institute, mobilised the ‘Tom Crean’ research vessel to conduct a geophysical survey within the SC DMAP. This survey ran from 6 July 2024 until 12 September 2024. Geophysical data from both the Tonn Nua and Lí Ban auction sites was collected.

Ireland’s offshore wind ambition

Climate Action Plan 2024 commits to achieving at least 5GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030. A further 2GW is earmarked for the production of green hydrogen and other non-grid uses. Ireland’s plan-led approach to delivering our offshore wind targets includes a number of overlapping phases:

Phase One, which corresponds to all relevant projects that were successful in 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, and
the fully plan-led Future Framework

Ireland’s first offshore auction a breakthrough moment for State

In May 2023, the results of Ireland’s first offshore wind auction, ORESS 1, underscored the State’s ambitions within offshore renewable energy. The highly competitive price secured — at an average of €86.05/MWh (megawatt hour) — was one of the lowest prices paid by an emerging offshore wind market in the world. Over 3GW of capacity was procured from four offshore wind projects under ORESS 1.

Designated Maritime Area plans (DMAPS)

As part of the new national plan-led regime for ORE, the establishment of DMAPs will ensure that post-Phase One ORE developments will be led by maritime spatial plans identified by Government. In doing so, it will provide a framework for the sustainable use of the State’s offshore wind resource and marine space through coordinated, coherent and transparent decision-making in relation to ORE development.

Facilitating co-existence between offshore development and fishing communities

Maximising opportunities for co-existence between ORE projects and other marine users, including fishers, has been central to the preparation of the DMAP. This will make Ireland the first country in the European Union to place equivalent statutory co-existence obligations on ORE developers to facilitate co-existence. The South Coast DMAP puts forward four Maritime Areas, within which future deployment of fixed offshore wind (fixed-bottom turbines) may take place. These are as follows:

Tonn Nua (New Wave) is situated off the coast of County Waterford and encompasses a total marine area of 306 square kilometres. The distance to shore varies from between 12.2 kilometres along the western boundary to 12.4 kilometres along the northern boundary. Tonn Nua has a mean water depth of 57 metres, with a minimum water depth of 48 metres and a maximum water depth of 69 metres. With a typical density of 4.5MW/square kilometre, a 900MW development would use approximately 65% of the total marine space within Tonn Nua. The spatial flexibility provided will allow for windfarm layout and project boundaries to be adjusted in accordance with further required measures identified in the draft DMAP in order to address potential adverse environmental impacts. However, the scale and location of this deployment will be contingent on a range of additional factors, including further project level environmental assessments and technical analysis
Lí Ban (the Mermaid Saint) is situated off the coast of County Waterford and has a total area of 368 square kilometres, with distances to shore varying between 29 kilometres along the western boundary and 24 kilometres along the northern boundary. Lí Ban has a mean water depth of 70 metres with a minimum water depth of 65 metres and a maximum water depth of 76 metres
Manannán (a sea god associated with Ireland and a divine lord of the Tuatha Dé Dannan) is situated off the south coast of County Wexford and has a total area of 341 square kilometres. The distance to shore is approximately 25 km along the northern boundary. Manannán has a mean water depth of 69 metres with a minimum water depth of 64 metres and a maximum water depth of 72 metres
Danu (mother of the Tuatha Dé Danann people and the Celtic goddess of nature) is situated off the south coast of County Wexford and has a total area of 300 square kilometres. The distance to shore is approximately 26 km along the northern boundary. Danu has a mean water depth of 67 metres with a minimum water depth of 48 metres and a maximum water depth of 78 metres

Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce

The cross-government Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce was established by Minister Ryan to ensure a joined-up approach across Government, agencies and industry to coordinate the full range of activities required to maximise the economic benefits of offshore wind development to the State. The Taskforce is involved in identifying all aspects of work on the critical path to delivery of offshore wind and proactively identifying risks and managing associated mitigation measures.

The key actions for 2024 under the Taskforce’s Offshore Wind Energy Programme include measures relating to DMAPs and marine planning, biodiversity, grid connection, supply chain, ports policy, skills and workforce, and regulatory consenting.

Climate Action Plan 2024

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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