Four areas off the Waterford and south Wexford coast have been designated for offshore wind development over the coming decade following publication of Ireland’s first draft DMAP, which will be the focus of future State auctions up to and after 2030.
Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan, who announced the sites on Friday, said he understood likely frustration among developers who surveyed potential sites off Cork, but said this plan-lead approach was the best way to quickly get the best-located projects in place and close to shore and grid using fixed-bottom turbines.
An auction this autumn will seek to develop a 900 megawatt (MW) wind farm within the “Tonn Nua” (meaning new wave) site directly off Co Waterford, some 12.5km from the coastline – a distance aligned with offshore wind farms in other parts of Europe.
It is envisaged this would be in place by decade end, while the three other sites in deeper water would be developed post 2030. The others are named Lí Ban (the Celtic mermaid saint) off Waterford, and Manannan (Irish sea god) and Danu (god of nature) off the Wexford coast, which range from 27km to 52km from the coast at their nearest point.
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Following six weeks of public consultation Mr Ryan told a Wind Energy Ireland conference in Dublin he hoped the DMAP would be approved by the Oireachtas by summer as all-party support would then flag the direction of development within the planning context.
“This is a hugely significant milestone – the first time the State has developed a forward spatial plan for renewable energy at this scale ... it has been a priority of mine and this Government’s to overhaul the regulatory and legislative system so that we could get to this point.
“We can now plan to run an auction, and the winners can then proceed to deal with a brand new purpose-developed regulator (MARA) before applying to An Bord Pleanála for development permission.”
The Minister said power from the Tonn Nua wind farm, likely to entail 60 turbines with 15MW capacity, would come ashore at Great Island in Co Wexford and Cork harbour, with the latter set to undergo significant expansion with the location of associated industry nearby.
He said the plan for development of offshore resources led by the State would protect the rights of Irish people rather than letting developers engage in a Klondyke scenario where they simply cherry-pick their preferred sites.
The DMAP was identified following extensive work with fishing communities and scientists to ensure there was adequate environmental protection and “an almost year-long engagement process with coastal communities and stakeholders, de-risking the DMAP as much as possible”.
“That’s the best way of building out wind power,” Mr Ryan added.
Separately, he said six projects (five in the Irish Sea and one off Connemara, Co Galway) would go into the planning system in the coming weeks, with enhanced capacity within An Bord Pleanála to process them.
The Minister said 80 per cent of 8,000 sq km surveyed off the south coast were excluded for development due to special protection areas for wild birds, and to protect marine biodiversity, key spawning grounds and the Saltee islands.
He said a roadmap for a series of offshore renewable energy DMAPS is to be published, but priority is being given for a 200MW demonstrator floating wind farm off the south or West coast.
An independent economic analysis, published with the draft South Coast DMAP, highlights the potential economic benefits associated with implementation, which could deliver inward investment of €4.4 billion and an estimated 49,000 full-time equivalent years of employment to the Irish economy. More than 65 per cent of inward investment and employment opportunities could be captured by the south coast region, it concluded.
WEI chief executive Noel Cunniffe said the announcement was “a genuinely historic day for the development of offshore wind energy in Ireland and clears the way for a second offshore wind auction before the end of the year”.
“Irish people want clean energy, affordable energy and a secure supply of energy. This is what projects like Tonn Nua will deliver as well as enormous economic opportunities for the south coast of Ireland,” he added.
While progress on sites was welcome, it was vital to get the accompanying grid plans from EirGrid and that new interconnections were considered, said renewables entrepreneur John Mullins, a Fine Gael Ireland South candidate for Euro elections and former chief executive of Bord Gáis.
“Proper resources need to be put in place to enable the projects to get through foreshore and planning,” he added. “We also need to ensure that there is proper engagement with fishermen and other maritime interests so that these projects can be a success for all,” Mr Mullins said.
“It is important that this €1 billion annually opportunity sticks to the proposed timetable and that it is enabled by an all of Government approach. Plans at Rosslare and Cork Ports must also be accelerated to enable the construction and maintenance of the offshore wind farms.”
Meanwhile Dublin Green MEP Ciarán Cuffe has said the EU must get serious about creating a European supergrid, by offering accelerated planning permission for interconnectors under the EU’s projects of common and mutual interest (PCI) scheme and increased funding.
“Ireland and Europe are at a critical juncture. Ireland has the potential to become a global leader in renewable energy: our offshore area is 10 times our land mass, it’s relatively free of shipping, and it has stronger wind speeds than any other EU country. If we are to fully harness the power of offshore wind, we need to have a European supergrid. Grid reinforcement will ensure that we reap the benefits of our offshore future sooner rather than later,” he added.
“More interconnections with our neighbours will allow us to import energy when we need it, and export renewables when we have more than enough,” Mr Cuffe said. It would also eventually allow Ireland to link grids with countries like Norway and Spain, allowing more hydropower and solar-generated electricity to flow across the continent.
“We need to see more interconnectors receiving EU funding and accelerated planning permission under the PCI scheme. The right influence in Brussels can ensure priority projects make it on to the PCI list and benefit from enhanced support. This would speed up the development of an EU Supergrid and cement Ireland’s place as a global leader in renewable energy.”
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