Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce

The Climate Action Plan 2023 commits to achieving at least 5GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030 with a further 2GW earmarked for the production of green hydrogen and other non-grid uses. It also includes a suite of actions to realise Ireland’s offshore renewable energy (ORE) potential.

The establishment of offshore wind in Ireland is a significant undertaking, involving action across many areas of Government. In April 2022, Minister Eamon Ryan established a cross-Departmental Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce to accelerate and drive delivery and capture the wider and longer term economic and business opportunities associated with the development of offshore renewables in Ireland.

The Taskforce is chaired by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, and its membership comprises senior officials from Government Departments and agencies with offshore wind related actions under the Climate Action Plan. The member organisations are:

• Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC)
• Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH)
• Department of Transport
• Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE)
• Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS)
• Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER)
• Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD)
• Department of Defence
• Enterprise Ireland
• IDA Ireland
• Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU)
• EirGrid
• Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA)
• Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI)
• Marine Institute

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) also attends Taskforce meetings to provide policy advice relevant to its remit.

One of the key objectives of the Taskforce was to develop a system wide project plan, collating all activities underway across departments and agencies to ensure delivery of offshore wind and related targets. In this regard, the Taskforce has developed the Offshore Wind Energy Programme (OWEP) to coordinate activities ongoing across Government in relation to offshore wind and to identify all aspects of work on the critical path, gaps, areas of duplication, opportunities and risks. Actions in the OWEP include measures relating to supply chain, ports policy, skills and workforce, and regulatory consenting.

Other key objectives of the Taskforce are to:

• ensure the potential benefits from establishing the offshore wind industry are maximised
• ensure consistent messaging to the public and all stakeholders on what is happening regarding offshore wind energy and the benefits that will be delivered
• ensure alignment in the development of the ORE sector with work being progressed to improve and protect marine biodiversity through designation of Marine Protected Areas

The Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce is supported by a Programme Management Office provided by DECC, which is also overseeing the implementation and governance of the OWEP.

The key actions under the Taskforce’s Offshore Wind Energy Programme include measures relating to DMAPs and marine planning, biodiversity, grid connection, supply chain, ports policy, skills and workforce, and regulatory consenting.