The Government has set a target of 5GW of grid connected offshore wind and a further 2GW of capacity for green hydrogen generation by 2030. Yet the development of Ireland’s offshore wind resource has been painfully slow to date, with just one small offshore wind farm in operation.
Experts say much more can be done to accelerate progress and achieve Ireland’s ambition of becoming a net exporter of wind energy. Noel Cunniffe, chief executive of Wind Energy Ireland, admits that the glacial pace of development means the Government’s ambitious targets will likely be missed but he stresses that it’s not all bad news.
“At this stage I think it is clear we’re not going to have 5GW of offshore wind connected to the grid by 2030. But we could certainly see that kind of volume in development and, for some of the phase one projects – five projects located off our east coast – construction is well under way.”
According to Cunniffe, the fundamentals have not changed; he says Ireland still has some of the best offshore wind resources in the world and an “incredible opportunity” to build a resilient economy backed by affordable, clean energy. But time is of the essence when it comes to maximising this potential.
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“The potential for offshore wind to transform Ireland’s energy system, economy and climate impact is enormous,” he says. “What we decide to do in the next 12 months will determine whether we have boats in the water constructing wind farms in 2030 and whether the 2040 targets remain within reach.”
The biggest challenge, Cunniffe maintains, is Ireland’s planning system. “We have five offshore projects in with An Coimisiún Pleanála at the moment, some of them already working through detailed requests for further information. We really need to see the relevant State agencies working with those projects to ensure we can respond to the commission as quickly as possible.”
Beyond that, a stronger pipeline for projects is also required. “We’re looking forward to the Tonn Nua auction later this year, off Ireland’s south coast, but once that auction is complete there is no sign of a pipeline beyond that. We don’t know when other sites will be made available.”
Ireland also needs a much stronger electricity grid to not only connect these projects but to ensure their potential is maximised. “Last year 14 per cent of onshore wind energy was lost because the grid wasn’t able to accommodate it,” says Cunniffe. “We need a stronger grid to ensure we don’t have offshore turbines standing idle.”
The ESB says it has seen significant growth in its footprint in offshore wind in the past 12 months. The 448MW Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind project, a 50:50 joint venture off the east coast of Scotland, first exported electricity in October and is expected to reach full commercial operation this year.
Meanwhile, Inch Cape, a 1,080MW 50:50 JV offshore wind farm development project, was successful in the UK Allocation Round 6 CfD (contracts for difference) auction for the remaining 25 per cent of its capacity and secured a suite of construction contracts. ESB has also partnered with Danish energy company Ørsted to jointly develop a portfolio of offshore wind projects off the Irish coast – this has the potential to deliver up to 5GW of capacity.
Robert Costello, partner at PwC Ireland, says increasing certainty in the system will make projects more viable and deliverable. “We need to look at the upcoming projects on the east and southeast coasts of Ireland and ensure that they go through planning in a fair and efficient way, with clear timelines,” he says.
“We also need to give projects and project owners clear timelines for things like grid availability and grid connection and help facilitate their supply chain needs, access to materials and infrastructure needed to be in a position to construct these projects.”
While the Government has put in a “huge effort” to progress the energy transition, realising our offshore potential will require “a lot of joined up thinking and leadership”, Costello adds.
Cunniffe agrees. “There needs to be much better co-ordination across the whole spectrum of Government and relevant agencies,” he says. “Offshore wind is clearly a priority for Environment Minister Darragh O’Brien and the agencies working under his remit but there is no sense that sentiment is shared everywhere it needs to be.”
The relevant Government departments and State agencies responsible for enabling the development of offshore wind energy remain short of staff and resources, he adds. “Things have definitely improved, but it’s clearly still holding us back.”
