National Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP) for Offshore Renewable Energy

The National Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP) for Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) will provide a spatial planning policy framework for ORE, including spatial designations. It will assist in realising the State's overriding energy security and decarbonisation policies and objectives.

The National ORE DMAP will aim to designate sufficient maritime area to deliver a target of 20GW of offshore renewable energy by 2040 taking account of the Phase one projects and sites already designated by the South Coast DMAP (SC-DMAP).

The National ORE DMAP Proposal is a statutory document which sets out the intention to make a National Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP) for offshore renewable energy (ORE), in accordance with Part 2 of the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021. The DMAP will provide policy objectives, some of which will be unique to the specific classes of ORE and will include spatial designations where relevant. It will ensure a plan-led approach is taken to prospective ORE development on a commercial scale, including floating wind demonstration developments, and thereby ensuring that such development is managed in a strategic and sustainable way.

The National DMAP will apply the extensive policy framework provided for in the National Marine Planning Framework (NMPF) and will take into account existing, permitted or planned ORE taking place in the maritime area. In this way, the National DMAP will enable an alignment of existing energy policy and activities with forward spatial planning.

Section 23 of the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021 requires the preparation and publication of a statement, known as a Public Participation Statement (PPS) to accompany the DMAP Proposal. The PPS sets out the processes settled in relation to the involvement of interested persons in the preparation of the Plan. While efforts will be made to comply with the PPS, it is envisioned to be dynamic document and must be kept under review and be revised as and if necessary.

The process of making the National DMAP will be open, transparent and inclusive. To this end, the first iteration of the PPS that will be published alongside this Proposal will afford interested individuals, stakeholders and organisations adequate opportunity to participate in the dialogue and contribute towards the development of the National DMAP.

This will be achieved through close collaboration with the MSP Advisory Group, which was established to facilitate participation in the marine spatial planning process by all relevant stakeholders from the economic, environmental and social pillars. It is envisioned that the MSP Advisory Group will act as an important conduit for knowledge sharing and information gathering during the development of the National DMAP and enhancing public participation thereon.