Press release
Minister Ryan launches consultation on the next phase of offshore renewable energy in Ireland
From Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, has today launched a public consultation on the draft second Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan (OREDP II).
This plan sets out Ireland’s strategy for the future of offshore renewable energy in Ireland. The plan focuses on ensuring we identify the best locations for the right renewable technologies, to generate benefits from the extensive potential we have for generating renewable energy from our seas.
The draft OREDP II outlines the proposed criteria to identify these optimal areas – known as Broad Areas of Interest – which will ensure that we plan to use the right technologies in the right places. Broad Areas of Interest are large areas of the Irish maritime space that have been identified as technically suitable for future offshore renewable energy development through the OREDP II assessment.
Welcoming the publication of the draft OREDP II, Minister Ryan said:
"Ireland’s wind, waves and tides offer huge, clean, sustainable sources of offshore renewable energy. To harness this energy for the benefit of all, we need to ensure we put the right offshore technologies in the right places.
"The Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan (OREDP II) is one of the key building blocks being progressed now by Government to deliver on our ambition to develop 2GW green hydrogen and at least 30GW floating energy beyond 2030.
"I encourage all, particularly those in coastal and island communities, to participate in the consultation events online or in person. The maritime area is a shared space and we want to hear from all those with an interest in our seas. How we plan for this development will be important to ensure benefits are delivered for everyone."
The Enduring Regime is our long-term vision for offshore renewable energy in Ireland. The State will ensure that the economic, environmental and social benefits of offshore renewable energy are realised for everyone. This includes choosing the right offshore technologies to use in the right places through the OREDP II. The OREDP II is one element of building the Enduring Regime, which also includes development of a Hydrogen Policy, Interconnector Policy and Economic Assessment.
Adopting a more strategic, plan-led approach will ensure that the economic, environmental and societal benefits of offshore renewable energy are realised for everyone, including:
A public consultation for the draft OREDP II is now open for submissions until 20 April 2023 on gov.ie/OffshoreEnergyPlan.
As part of the consultation process, a series of online, public outreach and in-person stakeholder workshop events will take place around coastal communities in Ireland over the coming weeks to raise awareness of the OREDP II. For the full list of events and registration details, visit gov.ie/OffshoreEnergyPlan. Capacity is limited at stakeholder events and advance registration is required. Following the conclusion of the public consultation process and consideration of all submissions, the draft OREDP II will be finalised and published in the summer of 2023.
The delivery of 5GW of offshore wind by 2030 will be delivered by two phases of projects:
ENDS
The 2020 Programme for Government committed to a target of 5GW of installed offshore wind capacity in Ireland’s maritime area by 2030. This target was affirmed in the 2021 Climate Action Plan and is required to meet the target contained in the updated 2023 Climate Action Plan, which is that up to 80% of Ireland’s electricity will be sourced from renewables by 2030.
The draft OREDP II and associated environmental assessment reports are available on the department’s website at gov.ie/OffshoreEnergyPlan.
In order to realise our energy and climate commitments, we must identify the most appropriate areas in our seas for development of offshore renewable energy.
Further analysis will refine the Broad Areas of Interest into smaller geographical areas, ahead of formal designation for future offshore renewable energy developments. This analysis may include environmental or economic assessments, and consultation with stakeholders.
Formal designation of these areas for offshore renewable energy will require the development of Designated Maritime Areas Plans (DMAPs) under the Maritime Area Planning Act, 2021. These will be statutory, regional spatial plans for offshore renewable energy and will form the basis for future planning decisions. They will be subject to environmental assessment and involve public participation.
The Climate Action Plan 2023, launched in December 2022, is the second annual update of Climate Action Plan 2019 and the first plan to be prepared under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021. It also follows on from the introduction, in 2022, of economy-wide carbon budgets and sectoral emissions ceilings.
The plan details actions across a number of areas, including six vital, high-impact sectors: