Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 April 2026
110. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment for an update on development of offshore wind capacity; the status of the offshore wind energy programme; progress on developments on the Wicklow and Wexford coastlines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27633/26]
View answerFive offshore wind projects off our East coast, with planned capacity of 3.8 gigawatts, are currently in development.
Three projects are located off the coast of Wicklow and are
• Arklow Bank Wind Park II,
• Codling Wind Park, and
• Dublin Array Offshore Wind Farm.
The first planning determination for the five projects is anticipated before the end of 2026, with others to follow in 2027. Subject to approval, I anticipate that the five projects will be in procurement and construction by 2030 and operational in the early 2030s.
In December 2025, I announced that Helvick Head DAC, a consortium of ESB and Orsted, had won my Department’s second offshore wind auction and will be developing a 900 megawatt project off the coast of Waterford. I expect this project to be energised by 2033. This project was the first of four to be brought to auction from the South Coast DMAP.
My Department is working closely with EirGrid to develop grid connection options for the second South Coast DMAP site, known as Lí Ban.
My Department is also advancing the National DMAP in order to meet our 2040 targets.
