Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 April 2023
80. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the reason the coastal waters off County Clare designated for off-shore wind energy are much smaller in area than County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19631/23]
View answerThe Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan II (OREDP II) will be Ireland’s first national-level spatial strategy for our offshore renewable energy (ORE) future. When finalised, it will provide a high-level framework to support and guide the long-term, sustainable and planned development of Ireland’s significant offshore wind, wave and tidal resources, focusing on the optimal locations.
A draft OREDP II was published on 24 February 2023 for public consultation. A wide range of maritime stakeholders have been involved in contributing to the development of this draft OREDP II, including the fisheries sector, academia, the environmental sector, and the ORE industry.
The draft OREDP II identified potential Broad Areas of Interest for offshore energy, which are based on proposed criteria focused on economic and technical viability. These proposed criterial were themselves part of the public consultation process. It is important to note that no areas have been designated for future ORE development as yet.
The public consultation on the draft plan has run for eight weeks and recently closed on 20 April. During this time a range of online and in-person events were held around the coast, including Killybegs, Sligo, Westport, Ros a Mhíl, Kilrush, Foynes, Limerick, Cork city, Ballycotton, Castletownbere, Dunmore East, Kilmore Quay, Arklow, Dun Laoghaire, Balbriggan and Dundalk.
All feedback received as part of the public consultation is now being assessed and will inform the finalisation of the OREDP II in early summer 2023. The next stage of work will involve the identification of the Broad Areas of Interest, when the proposed identification criteria are finalised.
