From Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
Published on
Future Framework outlines Ireland’s biggest industrial opportunity for decades. Strategy provides a roadmap for Ireland to deliver 37GW of offshore wind by 2050
The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Minister Ryan, today launched the Future Framework for Offshore Renewable Energy, which is Ireland’s most exciting industrial opportunity for decades.
The Future Framework is the long-term model and vision for offshore renewable energy (ORE) in Ireland. The policy sets out the pathway Ireland will take to deliver 20GW of offshore wind by 2040 and at least 37GW in total by 2050. Critically, it also provides the evidence base for Ireland’s ambitious ORE targets.
The Future Framework for Offshore Renewable Energy is one of the key actions published today under the Offshore Wind Energy Programme, the system-wide plan developed by the Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce. The publication of another key action of the Taskforce, the draft South Coast Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP), will be announced by Minister Ryan this Friday, 3 May. Ireland’s Offshore wind programme is progressing to plan, meeting each of its three-phased objectives and timelines.
The Future Framework for Offshore Renewable Energy includes 29 key actions to develop Ireland’s long-term, plan-led approach to offshore wind. It 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.
The guiding principles of the policy include the protection of maritime environment and biodiversity, affordability of energy for consumers, an equitable return to communities, alignment of policy and infrastructure, inspiring confidence for investment, emphasising technological innovation, illuminating opportunities for return to the state and prioritising stakeholder and public engagement.
Welcoming the Future Framework for Offshore Renewable Energy, Minister Ryan said:
“Renewable energy projects are poised to revolutionise our economy, offering significant regional and national economic benefits while giving us more control over our energy sovereignty. Our offshore wind energy is potentially the largest domestic source of electricity that can replace volatile, imported fossil fuels. It also gives us our most exciting industrial opportunity for decades as we plan to not only power our own country, but export our excess energy to power Europe.
“This is a dynamic, fast-paced and evolving landscape and we are setting out our Future Framework now so that we will be ready, along with our local communities and business partners, for the future of all potential offshore renewable energy sources, including fixed and floating wind, wave and tidal renewable energy.
“Going to our Atlantic Ocean is not something that can happen overnight. The technology needed to harness the Atlantic’s enormous potential is still being developed globally. But, this strategy provides our planned, evidenced-based approach to realising our energy potential, and we will ensure that Ireland’s West Coast is on the cutting edge of this development.”
The publication of the Future Framework for Offshore Renewable Energy follows a five-week period of public consultation that took place earlier this year. The policy is available on the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications website.
Offshore Wind Energy Programme
- The publication of the Future Framework for Offshore Renewable Energy is one of the key actions published today under the Offshore Wind Energy Programme, the system-wide plan developed by the Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce
- The cross-Government Taskforce was established by Minister Ryan to ensure a joined-up approach across government, agencies and industry in 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 DMAPs and marine planning, biodiversity, grid connection, supply chain, ports policy, skills and workforce, and regulatory consenting
- The Annual Review for 2023 and Key Actions for 2024 under the Offshore Wind Energy Programme is available on the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications website
ENDS
Notes to the Editor
ORE Market and Export Potential Economic Analysis by AFRY Managing Consultants and BVG Associates
An economic market analysis on the viability of ORE targets and potential export opportunities was carried out as part of the work to develop the Future Framework for Offshore Renewable Energy. 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 see the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications website.
SEA/AA reports for the Future Framework for Offshore Renewable Energy
The reports of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Appropriate Assessment (AA) of the Future Framework for Offshore Renewable Energy, conducted by Mace Consultancy Ltd, are available on the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications website.
Ireland’s offshore wind ambition
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’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
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 to view at gov.ie/OffshoreEnergyORESS.
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 view Climate Action Plan 2024 and its annex of actions on the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications website.
