Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 December 2025
286. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment where Ireland lies in the construction of offshore windfarms, whether built, in the course of being built, or planned; the criteria that attach to having a successful planning permission (distance from shore, visibility, and so on); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73495/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraGovernment is committed to having 5 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity in development by 2030, with a longer-range target of 20 gigawatts by 2040.
Five offshore wind projects off our East coast, with planned capacity of 3.8 gigawatts, are presently in development, with planning determinations anticipated by the end of 2026. I anticipate these projects being in construction by 2030 and operational by 2031/32.
Earlier this month, I announced that 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. This project was the first of four to be brought to auction from the South Coast DMAP, designated by the Oireachtas in October 2024 for offshore wind development off the coasts of Cork, Waterford and Wexford.
I am currently developing proposals for an auction of the second site, Lí Ban, with potential capacity of up to 1.5 GW. My Department is working closely with Eirgrid to develop grid connection options and is separately commissioning surveys of the Lí Ban site to inform the auction. The remaining sites will follow soon after.
In September, my Department started the process of developing a National DMAP that will designate sufficient additional sites around our coast to deliver on the 2040 target of 20 GW. This process will complete by the end of 2027.
In relation to the planning criteria referred to by the Deputy, the development of offshore wind is taking place within the overarching legislative, regulatory and policy frameworks provided by the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021 and the National Marine Planning Framework. The South Coast DMAP and National DMAP form part of the National Marine Planning Framework, and their statutory basis means they will be a key consideration in the planning consent process. DMAPs include an extensive policy framework to guide future development of offshore wind and provide certainty to all parties on the general suitability of particular locations for offshore wind development.
