Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 June 2026
146. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment in light of recent international energy market volatility and supply disruptions, the additional measures he is taking to reduce Ireland’s dependence on imported fossil fuels and accelerate the deployment of indigenous renewable generation capacity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44691/26]
View answerThe recent global energy shocks underline the importance of accelerating the deployment of indigenous renewable energy sources such as wind and solar in tandem with supporting infrastructure, particularly the delivery of upgrades to the electricity network and electricity storage technologies.
Three cross-Government taskforces, the Accelerating Renewable Electricity Taskforce (ARET) for onshore renewables, the Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce (OWDT), and the Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce continue to develop effective policies designed to deliver an accelerated and increased level of renewable generation capacity and related infrastructure, including strengthening the electricity grid and increasing electricity storage.
Ireland currently has over 8 GW of renewable electricity generation capacity connected to the network, with approximately 5 GW of new renewable electricity generation capacity added over the last ten years.
More wind and solar capacity is needed if Ireland is to reduce the role of natural gas in price formation and protect our security of supply from volatile international fuel markets. Regional Renewable Electricity Capacity Allocations for onshore wind and solar were included in the First Revision of the National Planning Framework, published in April 2025. The inclusion of these allocations and the urgent alignment of regional strategies and local development plans with these is a critical step towards achieving Ireland’s national renewable electricity targets.
In December 2025, the International Energy Agency published its 'Powering Ireland's Energy report which takes into account key aspects of our energy system including: energy security, renewable generation, grid development, storage, interconnection and provides an assessment of Ireland's Energy Security to 2035.
The report will serve as a starting point for a cross-government programme of work during 2026 to consult on the role of the energy sector in delivering security, competitiveness, and sustainability across Irish society into the 2030s. The Department is working to develop a White Paper which will set out the strategic choices ahead and a delivery framework for Ireland’s electricity sector to 2050.
