Minister Eamon Ryan TD
Department of Environment, Climate, Communications and Department of Transport
The potential which is currently being tapped in Ireland in the area of renewable energy is huge, both in terms of self-sufficiency and export, and the strength of Ireland’s relationship with the United States of America can help foster the international collaboration which will be key in achieving this vast potential.
Ireland’s Climate Action Plan 2023 makes the State one of the most ambitious countries in the world on climate and provides a detailed plan for taking decisive action to achieve a 51% reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. It also sets us on a path to reach net-zero emissions by no later than 2050. The deployment of renewable energy is central to achieving these climate ambitions and to the overall energy policy in Ireland.
Ireland has made considerable progress in decarbonising our electricity sector already, with approximately 6GW (gigawatts) of renewable generation in operation at the end of 2023. This is on top of considerable effort to ensure a robust secure energy system, outline in the recently published review of Ireland’s energy security.
In terms of economic opportunities, a recent report commissioned by Wind Energy Ireland and Green Tech Skillnet has highlighted that Ireland’s 2050 offshore wind energy targets could be worth at least €38 billion. We know that international collaboration will be key in achieving our energy goals, as targeted investment in the offshore sector must be guided by industry expertise to ensure that the skills outputs required match sectoral demands. This can put us on a direct path to zero CO2 emissions while at the same time future-proofing our businesses and improving our quality of life.
From an offshore wind perspective, Ireland is a key emerging market in this energy space. The scale of our resource is huge – Ireland has one of the best offshore renewable energy resources in the world. The opportunities which this presents cannot be overlooked. When our current government was formed, it signed up to an ambitious programme for government which included the delivery of 5GW of offshore wind by 2030. In May 2023, the results of Ireland’s first offshore wind auction, ORESS 1, underscored the State’s ambitions within offshore renewable wind energy. The hugely competitive price secured – at an average of €86.05/MWh (megawatt hour) – is one of the lowest prices paid by an emerging offshore wind market in the world. Over 3GW of capacity has been procured from four offshore wind projects under ORESS 1, which will deliver over 12TWh (terawatt hours) of renewable electricity per year. This is the largest volume of renewable energy Ireland has ever procured at auction. Our target of 5GW of offshore wind by 2030 means that Ireland now has the 4th most ambitious offshore wind expansion programme in the EU.
With over 300 onshore wind farms now generating over 4.8GW of clean energy across the country, Ireland is in the top five globally for installed wind power capacity per capita and in the contribution of wind energy to electricity demand, making us a world leader in the integration of variable renewable electricity onto the grid. Solar PV is rapidly transforming Ireland’s energy system, with over 1GW of solar now in place. Ireland’s ambitious onshore targets (9GW of onshore wind and 8GW of solar by 2030) will be delivered through a major acceleration and increase in onshore wind and solar PV, facilitated through regular competitive onshore RESS auctions.
Looking beyond 2030, achieving net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 requires significant and unprecedented changes to Ireland’s energy system and offshore wind infrastructure is expected to be the “backbone” of future energy systems within the State. To achieve these targets, we have now ensured that our targets went further - by developing a Future Framework Policy for the delivery of 20GW of offshore wind by 2040 and at least 37GW in total by 2050. Our Future Policy Statement is due to be published in March 2024 and will outline how the State aims to reach its 37GW target by 2050. This policy will also outline proposals for how ‘floating wind’ can help meet these targets and how our electricity interconnection ambitions can make Ireland a net energy exporter, or indeed rapidly scale energy intensive industries post 2030 from this significant clean energy resource.