Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 February 2026
181. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the proportion of the 2030 target for the delivery of offshore wind that will be delivered by end of this decade; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14621/26]
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 at present in development, with the first planning determinations anticipated by the end of 2026. I anticipate that these projects will be in construction by 2030 and operational by 2031/32.
Separately, in December 2025, 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. 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. The South Coast DMAP was 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 within the South Coast DMAP, known as Lí Ban, with potential capacity of between 900 and 1,500 MW. 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. I will make a formal announcement in the coming months but I expect the auction for this site to take place in 2027.
My Department is also preparing plans for sites C and D within the South Coast DMAP and advancing the National DMAP in order to meet our 2040 targets.
