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Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan today opened the first Offshore Facilitation Forum in Dublin. At the event, the Minister underlined the vital role of ports in delivering the government’s targets of 5GW Offshore Wind Energy by 2030, with an additional 2GW to be in development by 2030, which may include projects available for green hydrogen production and other non-grid use, and the importance of developers and ports to engage in meaningful commercial discussions in order to underpin the commercial viability of the significant investments required.
The purpose of the Forum is to bring the port companies, developers, financing bodies and governmental departments together, to update on the breadth of work undertaken across the government system to facilitate ORE development, as well as highlight the opportunities available to ports and developers. The Forum provides for further engagement and exchange across key stakeholders at a critical juncture of ORE implementation and project development.
Opening the forum, Minister Ryan acknowledged the significant work being undertaken by government to set Ireland on the path into a new sustainable future of renewable energy:
“We need to accelerate the important mission of delivering offshore wind energy in Ireland over the coming decade at a scale and scope that we perhaps haven’t seen since the electrification of the country. I am very encouraged to see that our ambition as a nation is being supported enthusiastically by ports and developers.
"We have already had our first successful off-shore wind auction and we are already making plans for phases 2 and 3. We are about to launch MARA, the specialised Maritime Area Regulatory Authority, which will play a central role in the new streamlined consenting system for the maritime area. It is vital that robust and supported port ORE infrastructure plans move at the same ambitious pace.
"It is now vital that robust port ORE infrastructure plans move at the same ambitious pace, supported by developer engagement and commitment. These plans are critical to demonstrating not just the technical and commercial viability of our ports, but also to support them in their applications for funding, to secure financial investment, as well as facilitating the progression of port projects through required consenting and planning processes.
"Developers now play a key role in supporting ports to accelerate the development of robust and evidence-based project plans.”
The Forum was attended by developers who recently took part in the Offshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (ORESS 1) auction and ports that are progressing plans to facilitate ORE, the Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO), the Irish Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), the European Investment Bank (EIB), Wind Energy Ireland, the Marine Renewables Industry Association, and officials from a number of departments in the Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce.
The Department of Transport continues its support to assist ports and developers in the delivery of robust ORE infrastructure projects.