The long-awaited auction of the Tonn Nua site, part of the South Coast Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP), has been won by Helvick Head Offshore Wind DAC which is a joint venture between ESB and Ørsted. The developer wins a contract to provide electricity at €98.719 per megawatt hour (MWh) for a 20-year period. The successful auction, at a favourable price, is considered to be a vote of confidence in the Irish offshore market which is welcome in the face of global uncertainty in the industry.
The developer now has to go through the planning process, including a full environmental impact assessment report (EIAR), before construction can begin. The timeline for this is uncertain, but on completion the windfarm will provide power for almost a million homes, and will save 1.8 million tonnes of CO2 per year.
Minister of State for the Marine Timmy Dooley said: “Ireland is already a wind energy success story. Today’s announcement is the next chapter in that story, and an exemplar project as we move towards a national DMAP for offshore renewable energy. This is a key milestone in delivering a clear and sustainable framework for developing offshore renewable energy, balancing economic growth, environmental protection and community engagement to support Ireland’s transition to a low-carbon future.”
The progression of a National DMAP for ORE is a logical and necessary step, and has a deadline at the end of 2027. The Department have indicated their intention to designate MPAs using the same DMAP mechanism under the Maritime Area Planning Act (2021), and this has a deadline of 2030. The two processes of designation will therefore operate in parallel but it seems that ORE sites are given priority. The IWDG would prefer that setting aside vulnerable areas for nature to thrive by designating MPAS take precedence, and that choosing sites for ORE would come afterwards.
The IWDG welcomes the auction result as tangible progress towards our climate and decarbonisation targets, and looks forward to working with the developers to ensure that pressures on the marine environment are kept to a minimum. We need to continue to work together with industry and government towards reconciling the protection of nature with the overarching imperative to solve the climate problem.
Cover Image: Tonn Nua wind farm site, part of the South Coast DMAP auctioned this week.