It will facilitate the expansion of offshore wind energy to help the country meet its greenhouse gas emissions targets.
Minister Eamon Ryan TD said: "Meeting the ambitious goal of 70% renewable electricity by 2030 will require development of significant offshore renewable energy over the coming decade. What's really important is that this policy is a further step towards building that renewable sustainable resource right here in Ireland. It will give us energy security, and it will also help us to reduce our carbon emissions. Over the next decade we will be electrifying our transport and other systems and we will need electric power from sustainable resources to do that. Offshore wind is a win-win for local communities and for Ireland."
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Meeting the objective of 5 GW of installed offshore wind generation by 2030 requires simultaneous development of various policy, legislative and regulatory workstreams. These include the establishment of a new regulatory consenting regime for the offshore renewable energy sector in Ireland, a route to market for future offshore wind projects through technology-specific auctions within the EU state-aid approved Renewable Energy Support Scheme (RESS), and the development of a new framework for Ireland’s future offshore electricity transmission system.
The framework, and associated new policy, which was approved by government in April, following a public consultation in summer 2020, will provide for the development, operation and ownership of Ireland’s offshore electricity transmission system. In addition, it will provide necessary clarity to the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), EirGrid, ESB Networks, local communities, the renewable energy industry, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other stakeholders ahead of the first of three scheduled offshore wind-specific Renewable Energy Support Scheme (RESS) auctions that will enable Ireland to meet the 5GW objective by the end of this decade.
