Joe Neville
Question:55. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the current status of offshore wind energy on the west coast; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44557/26]
View answerThursday, 11 June 2026
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Written answers
The focus of the State's development of offshore wind to date has been on our East and South coasts. Five projects are presently in development on the East coast, with a planned capacity of up to 3.8 gigawatts (GW). These projects are awaiting planning determinations from an Coimisiún Pleanála, with the first determinations anticipated before the end of 2026 and the others to follow in 2027.
The South Coast Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP) was approved by the Oireachtas in 2024 under the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021. The South Coast DMAP designates four development areas off the coasts of Cork, Waterford and Wexford for offshore wind development. In December 2025, I announced the winner of the auction of the 900MW Tonn Nua site, the first of the South Coast DMAP sites. Further South Coast DMAP auctions will follow.
My Department is now in the process of developing a National DMAP, in order to designate sites all around Ireland's coast, including the West Coast. The National DMAP team have conducted significant stakeholder engagement to date with workshops with key stakeholders such as offshore renewable energy industry, fishers, and environmental NGOs taking place earlier this year. Further engagement took place with representatives from Fishery Harbour Centres and their catchments, including in Rosaveel, Sligo, Westport, Ennis, and Killybegs. Draft Renewable Energy Sites are to be published in 2026 and a public consultation on the draft plan will take place in 2027. The National DMAP will designate sites for both fixed bottom and floating offshore wind.
I anticipate that the National DMAP process will be complete by the end of 2027.