Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Darragh O’Brien has officially announced a new National Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP) for offshore renewable energy (ORE) in Irish waters. Preparatory work has already commenced in DECC and the exercise will be a re-run of the South Coast DMAP GIS analysis of environmental and marine usage data, but over a wider area which is yet to be defined.
The Minister stated that this “supports our decarbonisation ambitions and our offshore renewables target of 20GW by 2040. Having a single National DMAP will accelerate the process of site designation for offshore renewable energy. Having a single National DMAP supports the Programme for Government commitment and will provide greater certainty for our marine stakeholders and the renewables industry”.
The need for greater certainty for marine stakeholders and the ORE industry is vital given that one of six “Phase I” projects, Sceirde Rocks offshore Connemara, has been pulled by developer Corio Generation citing extreme environmental conditions recorded at the site during recent storms. Notably this came after parent company Macquarie offered Corio for sale but failed to attract interest. Confidence among ORE developers is currently low following President Trump’s direct assault on the US renewables industry, along with worldwide financial and supply-chain uncertainty following the imposition of tariffs.
The IWDG welcomes the Minister’s announcement, recognising the importance of a strategic approach to marine spatial planning and the overarching need to decarbonise our energy systems to combat climate change and improve energy security. The South Coast DMAP was a good example of consultation and engagement of stakeholders, and the analysis took a strong “environment first, ORE second” approach. We trust that this will continue for the new National DMAP, and look forward to working with the Department throughout the process. Unfortunately this comes before the designation of any Marine Protected Areas, and new legislation still languishes unpublished with Government. Good marine spatial planning should include the protection of important and valuable areas for marine species and habitats before any ORE development is considered.
Official Press release: https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-the-environment-climate-and-communications/press-releases/work-to-begin-on-a-national-offshore-renewable-energy-designated-maritime-area-plan/