Press release
Minister Ryan addresses Europe’s largest renewable wind energy gathering
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 addressed leading business figures in the renewable wind energy sector at the WindEurope Annual Event 2024, Bilbao. The three-day conference is Europe’s largest annual renewable wind energy event, with over 12,000 attendees.
In a 'Ministerial Plenary Session on Offshore Wind', Minister Ryan outlined how Ireland is primed to become a key player in the future of renewable energy in Europe. The offshore wind ministerial session is the most anticipated event of the conference; it includes a selection of European ministers, officials from the European Commission, as well as senior figures from the world of business. The discussion offered insights into a range of areas within offshore wind, including: volumes and investments, grids, supply chains and floating wind.
Minister Ryan said:
"Ireland is already a wind energy success story. We get 35% of our electricity from onshore wind farms, which is more than anywhere else in Europe. We’re world leaders in integrating renewables onto our electricity grid, which often sees 75% of total electricity demand come from wind farms. For over 20 years we have built a thriving national onshore wind industry, but now we are looking to our seas. Ireland has one of the best offshore wind resources in the world and we are moving towards the delivery of offshore wind energy at a rapid pace. More offshore wind capacity entered the planning system last year than ever before and we have a robust, and growing, pipeline of projects in place.
"We have already set out a clear pathway to achieving our 2030 offshore wind targets and our new Future Framework for Offshore Renewable Energy, set to be published next month, identifies the key actions Ireland will take to deliver 20 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2040 and at least 37 gigawatts by 2050. We have invested a lot of time and resources in building the necessary legislative and regulatory base to develop a sustainable industry that delivers for Ireland and Europe. We look forward to working alongside the leading industry figures here today at WindEurope conference as we move closer to Ireland’s future as a global leader in renewable wind energy."
The ministerial panel discussion was just one of several high-profile Ireland-related events at WindEurope 2024. Other events included:
ENDS
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 ORESS 1, 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 is implementing 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:
The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications chairs the Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce, which is co-ordinating 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 under the Taskforce’s Offshore Wind Energy Programme include measures relating to supply chain, ports policy, skills and workforce, and regulatory consenting.
The long-term model and vision for offshore renewable energy in Ireland is called the ‘Future Framework’. This policy will set out a framework for the delivery of 37GW of offshore wind by 2050. This vision for achieving our renewable energy goals is shared across Government and the regulatory framework that will be put in place will ensure that the economic, environmental and societal benefits are realised for all our citizens and stakeholders, now and into the future.
A draft Future Framework policy for post-2030 deployment of offshore wind was published for consultation in January 2024. A final version will be published in April 2024, subject to Government approval.