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Ireland becoming ‘a renewable powerhouse in Europe’ – Eamon Ryan tells WindEurope conference

Unprecedented offshore wind capacity entered Irish planning system last year, part of robust pipeline of offshore wind projects

Ireland is pivoting from onshore to offshore projects at pace. Stock photograph: iStock

Kevin O'Sullivan
Sat Mar 23 2024 - 06:00

Ireland is pivoting from onshore wind to scaling up offshore projects at pace, Minister for Environment and Climate Eamon Ryan has told the WindEurope annual conference in Bilbao, Spain.

Addressing leading business figures in the renewable wind energy sector, Mr Ryan said “Ireland is primed to become a key player in the future of renewable energy in Europe”.

“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,” he added – the 2024 conference was attended by more than 12,000 delegates.

“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 key actions Ireland will take to deliver 20 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind by 2040 and at least 37GW by 2050,” said Mr Ryan, who also has responsibility for energy in the Government.

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He added: “Ireland is already a wind energy success story. We get 35 per cent of our electricity from onshore wind farms, which is more than anywhere else in Europe. We’re world leaders in integrating renewables on to our electricity grid, which often sees 75 per cent of total electricity demand come from wind farms.”

For over 20 years the country had built a thriving national onshore wind industry, he said, “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.”

“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 ... as we move closer to Ireland’s future as a global leader in renewable wind energy,” the Minister said.

Mr Ryan said key sectors would create huge demand for this energy source. This included transport, where sustainable aviation fuels were needed. With most leading tech companies having their headquarters in Ireland, data centres is “an unquenchable demand” – as it is for all countries, he said. “It’s another sector where that digital revolution has to go hand-in-hand with the clean energy revolution, because if it doesn’t have clean power, it is not sustainable, it doesn’t have a social licence to operation”.

With Ireland being an agricultural economy, it did not make sense that fertilisers were being imported from Russia, when chemistry could be used to provide hydrogen from offshore wind and combined with carbon generated by carbon capture and storage technology to generate ammonia – and in turn fertilisers.

There was an Irish pavilion at the conference for the first time, where Wind Energy Ireland hosted a dedicated “Ireland markets session” focusing on latest developments on regulation, auctions, policy developments and business opportunities for companies interested in the Irish market. It was led by Matt Collins, assistant secretary for renewable electricity, hydrogen and grid at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications.

Members of the Government’s cross-departmental offshore wind delivery taskforce also provided an update for industry on Ireland’s recently-published offshore wind industrial strategy, and outlined the main elements in the offshore renewable energy policy statement to be published in April.

Officials from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland provided an update on Ireland’s offshore renewable energy technology roadmap, while EirGrid’s chief infrastructure officer Michael McMahon led a panel discussion on grid access for wind farm developments.

Kevin O'Sullivan

Kevin O'Sullivan

Kevin O'Sullivan is Environment and Science Editor and former editor of The Irish Times

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