Policy development for Marine Consenting
In response to the requirements of the EU Directive 2014/89/EU, the Irish government established the National Marine Planning Framework (NMPF) during 2021. The NMPF brings together all marine-based human activities, outlining the Government’s vision, objectives, and marine planning policies for each marine activity. The NMPF sets out the proposed future approach to the adoption of spatial designations for marine activities including offshore renewable energy development, whilst taking account of the existing network of designated European sites under the Birds and Habitats Directives .
As part of the NMPF, and set out in the Maritime Area Planning Bill, an Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP) has been established to set out Ireland’s future development for ORE. The DMAPs will develop a multi-activity area plan which will promote the co-existence and co-location of offshore renewable activity with other marine usages and activities.
In 2023, the first DMAP has been proposed at the south coast of Ireland which will initialise the geographical area for future offshore renewable development to take place. In 2024, the south coast DMAP was approved by the Oireachtas (Houses of the Irish Parliament) which has identified four sites for the future development of offshore windfarms off the south coast of Ireland. The second offshore auction is due to run in 2025 for development of a 900 MW offshore wind farm in the first site, also known as Tonn Nua.
The Marine Area Planning Act 2021
The Marine Area Planning (MAP) Act of 2021 established into law a new marine planning system, which is underpinned by a statutory Marine Planning Statement, and guided by the NMPF. It consists of a development management regime from the high-water mark to the outer limit of the State’s continental shelf administered by An Bord Pleanála (the Irish planning authority) and the coastal local authorities.
The MAP Act streamlined procedures using a single consent principle: one State consent known as a Maritime Area Consent (MAC), that enables occupation of the Maritime Area and one development consent, with a single environmental assessment. The Act established a new independent agency, the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) and the agency came into operation on 17th July 2023 .
Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce
A cross-Departmental Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce was established in August 2022 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 challenge is to bring these together in a coherent whole of government plan that provides the necessary structures, governance, project management and delivery supports to ensure the medium term, 2030 and post-2030 targets will be delivered. Many of the challenges that will be resolved for offshore wind will also aid in the deployment of other offshore renewable energy technologies.
Offshore Renewable Energy technology roadmap
The Offshore Renewable Energy Technology Roadmap maps the pathway to harnessing Ireland's ORE potential. It is an advisory report published by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) in 2024 to inform strategic planning and policy development. It captures the frameworks for ORE delivery in Ireland, recommending areas for further consideration, informed by international best practice and industry expertise. While the report does conclude that fixed and floating offshore wind would play a dominant role in delivering clean energy from our ocean, wave energy has been considered a technology that can have an impact. This is considered under an ORE deployment scenario where advancements are made to the TRL/CRI and the technology achieves the significant cost reductions necessary to play a significant role in Ireland’s energy system.
Future Framework for Offshore Renewable Energy
The Future Framework for Offshore Renewable Energy launched by the Minister of Environment, Climate & Communication in May 2024 is a long-term model and vision for offshore renewable energy (ORE) in Ireland. The policy statement sets out the pathway Ireland will take to deliver 20 GW of offshore wind by 2040 and at least 37 GW in total by 2050. Critically, it also provides the evidence base for Ireland’s ambitious ORE targets .
The Future Framework includes 29 key actions to develop on Ireland’s strategic long-term approach and national ambition. Seven of those which are considered as priority actions includes:
• Provide the structures and supports necessary to establish a future DMAP roadmap.
• Explore the feasibility of implementing a competitive MAC framework
• Explore the possibility of a roadmap for future ORE development
• Design and develop a successor support scheme to ORESS
• Maximise capacity from alternative routes to market.
• Align infrastructure efficiencies to consider generation, grid, and route to market.
• Assess the potential to deploy floating offshore wind at scale in Irish waters.
Ocean Knowledge 2030
A draft of Ireland’s strategy for Marine Research, Knowledge & Innovation for the period 2025-2030 has been prepared by the Marine Institute. It will guide the coordination at national level of marine research and innovation investments, programming and policy, helping to optimise impact, enable the sustainable use of ocean space, and develop a sustainable climate-neutral blue economy . Further to this, it will align and integrate with a broader suite of sectoral and Research and Innovation strategies and policies at both national and EU level. Ocean Knowledge 2030 is also designed to advance the Impact 2030 action to "position Ireland as a leader for marine research and technology".
MARKET INCENTIVES
The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) provides support to renewable electricity projects in Ireland. It is an auction-based process where renewable energy projects compete against each other by bidding their lowest price offer to win contracts to provide electricity at the bid price for a twenty-year period. With a primary focus on cost effectiveness, the RESS delivers a broader range of policy objectives, including:
• Providing an Enabling Framework for Community Participation through the provision of pathways and supports for communities to participate in renewable energy projects
• Increasing technology diversity by broadening the renewable electricity technology mix
• Delivering an ambitious renewable electricity policy to 2030
• Increasing energy security, energy sustainability and ensuring the cost effectiveness of energy policy.
In 2023, Ireland ran its first ever Offshore (ORESS) auction which procured just over 3GW of capacity from four offshore wind projects which will deliver over 12 TWh of renewable electricity per year. The average bid price from the auction was €86.05/MWh making it the lowest prices paid by an emerging offshore wind market in the world . An additional two merchant fixed offshore wind projects are also progressing to the planning stage.
The second offshore auction (ORESS 2.1) is expected to commence in 2025 after the approval of the inaugural south coast DMAP under the new plan-led regime. One bidder will be successful in the auction for an Tonn Nua site. It is expected that the development of the offshore wind farm from ORESS 2.1 will be contributing towards Ireland’s 2030 7GW of installed capacity target along with ORESS 1.
PUBLIC FUNDING PROGRAMMES
SEAI Research, Development and Demonstration Fund
The SEAI National Energy Research Development and Demonstration (RD&D) Funding Programme invests in innovative energy RD&D projects which contributes to Ireland's transition to a clean and secure energy future. The key programme objectives include the following:
• Accelerate the development and deployment in the Irish marketplace of competitive energy-related products, processes, and systems
• Support solutions that enable technical and other barriers to market uptake to be overcome
• Grow Ireland's national capacity to access, develop and apply international class RD&D
• Provide guidance and support to policy makers and public bodies.
SEAI/LIR NOTF Industry access programme
The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and LIR National Ocean Test Facility (NOTF) in UCC fund an industry access programme to enable the testing and progression of ORE technologies through the early development stages in advance of open sea testing. Funded by SEAI, the industry access fund is open to any type of ORE technology (wave, wind, tidal, floating solar) that can be tested at the Lir NOTF. In 2024, the programme opened a fourth call for applications of ORE technologies that are eligible to test their scaled-down physical model at the test site. A total of eight projects, five wave, one tidal, and two component applications were successful from the competitive process.
Consenting processes
Update: March 2022
Over the course of 2021, there has been significant progress made in relation to policy for offshore renewable development. Ireland’s ambitions for the offshore renewable energy sector are contingent on delivering an effective and efficient licensing and regulatory regime for offshore renewable energy. This will provide certainty to project promoters and provide a pathway to realising the necessary investment in offshore renewable energy.
MARINE SPATIAL PLANNING POLICY
The National Marine Planning Framework (NMPF) is Ireland’s first comprehensive marine spatial plan, and was formally launched by the Irish Government in July 2021. The NMPF brings together all marine-based human activities for the first time, outlining the Government’s vision, objectives and marine planning policies for each marine activity. The NMPF sets out the Irish Government's long-term planning objectives and priorities for the management of our seas over a 20-year time frame. It also sets out specific objectives and marine planning policies for all the activities taking place in Ireland's seas, from aquaculture to wastewater treatment. All these activities are contextualised within the pillars of their economic, environmental and social considerations. The NMPF sets out the proposed future approach to the adoption of spatial designations for marine activities including offshore renewable energy development, whilst taking account of the existing network of designated European sites under the Birds and Habitats Directives.
MARITIME AREA PLANNING, ACT 2021
The Maritime Area Planning Act, 2021 (MAPA) was signed into law in December 2021. MAPA largely replaces the provisions of the Foreshore Acts, 1933-2011 and will enable the planning and regulation of marine development beyond 12 nautical miles for the first time. It provides the legal basis for our new marine planning system, a statutory marine planning policy statement, the creation of a new Maritime Regulatory Authority, a new consenting process and provisions relating to enforcement. Development of the Act was led by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) leading on the provisions specific to offshore renewable energy.
MAPA applies from the mean high water mark to the outer limits of the continental shelf. It streamlines consenting processes through using a single consent principle: one State consent known as a Maritime Area Consent (MAC), that enables occupation of the Maritime Area, and one development consent (roughly similar to planning permission), with a single environmental assessment, to be submitted to An Bord Pleanála.
The Act will enable the establishment of a new independent agency, the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA). When established MARA will be responsible for granting all MACs in the maritime area, for granting maritime licences for specific scheduled activities (including environmental surveys), ensuring compliance with the overall Act and taking enforcement measures, and will assume responsibility for managing the existing State Foreshore portfolio of leases and licences. MARA is expected to be operational by Q1, 2023 and will be based in Wexford.
When a developer has successfully obtained a MAC, projects will then be eligible to apply for development permission, directly from An Bord Pleanála (ABP). This process will include full statutory consultation and environmental assessment processes, including those deriving from the EU Habitats Directive, where applicable. Application for development permission is not required for ORESS 1 eligibility or a Grid Connection Assessment (GCA).
AUTHORITIES INVOLVED
The competent authorities involved in offshore renewable energy projects are:
Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH) – responsible for marine spatial planning and marine legislation and policy.
Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) – responsible for energy policy including establishing the legislation and regulatory regime for offshore renewable energy and transition to a plan-led model,.
[forthcoming] Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) – will be responsible for granting Maritime Area Consents; licences for scheduled activities, including environmental surveys; ensuring robust compliance and enforcement measures and managing the existing portfolio of State foreshore licences and leases once the governing legislation is enacted.
[forthcoming] An Bord Pleanála (ABP, the Irish national independent planning body) – responsible for granting development consent under the new regime.
Local planning authorities – responsible for granting permissions for onshore components and licensing certain marine activities (to be decided).
The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) – responsible for authorising and licensing construction of new generating stations and their subsequent operation.
EirGrid and ESB – transmission and distribution operators, respectively.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT
There is no screening for either Environmental Impact Assessment or Appropriate Assessment at the MAC stage, as the MAC process is separate to the development consent process, which will be made directly to ABP.
At the development consent stage a full environmental impact assessment will be undertaken by the developer and submitted to An Bord Pleanála for their assessment.
CONSULTATION
The Maritime Area Planning Act is fulling compliant with the provisions of the EU’s Public Participation Directive (2003/35/EC) and Directive 2003/4/EC on public access to environmental information.
GUIDANCE AND ADVICE
The following guidance exists:
Guidance for Authorisation to Construct and License to Generate are available on the Commission for Energy regulation website.
Guidance on Marine Baseline Ecological Assessments & Monitoring Activities for Offshore Renewable Energy Projects Parts 1 [General] and 2 [Technical] (April 2018) Available from: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/3d6efb-guidance-documents-for-offshore-renewable-energy-developers/
Guidance on Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Natura Impact Statement (NIS) Preparation for Offshore Renewable Energy Projects is also available from the same link above.
TEST CENTRES
Ireland provides test sites that facilitate the testing and development of wave, tidal and offshore wind energy technology at all technology readiness levels (TRL). Ongoing improvement and expansion of Ireland’s test and demonstration facilities are key to the Ocean Energy goals in Ireland. Current facilities cover all Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) from 1 – 9 and are detailed below:
Lir National Ocean Test Facility
The Lir National Ocean Test Facility (NOTF) is a world-class centre for renewable energy and marine research, located in the UCC Beaufort Building in Ringaskiddy, Co. Cork. Lir is a custom-designed test facility that features upgraded and expanded tanks and equipment for the testing of small-scale Ocean Energy renewable devices with TRL ranging from 1 to 4. Lir is an essential part of Ireland’s Ocean Energy research and testing infrastructure and provides a significant launch pad for both national and international marine renewable energy developers. Testing infrastructure includes:
A Deep Ocean Wave Basin (circa 1:15 scale testing).
The Open Ocean Emulator, an ocean wave basin with a sophisticated 2-sided paddle system and a two-sided absorption system (circa 1:50 scale testing).
A wave and current flume with coastal/tidal testing capabilities (circa 1:50 scale testing) and a wave demonstration flume.
Mechanical and electrical workshops.
Electrical testing infrastructure, including a smart grid and a series of linear and rotary rigs used to test power take-off and energy storage.
Galway Bay Test Site
The Galway bay Test Site is located on the north side of Galway Bay, 2.4km southeast of Spiddal village, which is located 19km west of Galway city. The area of the site is 37 hectares and it has water depths of 21-24 metres. The test site area is demarcated by four cardinal marks, one at each corner. The test site facilitates the open sea deployment of a quarter to half scaled prototypes of Wave Energy Converters (WEC’s) with TRL ranging from 4 to 6. The Marine Institute (MI) with support from SEAI has been developing the Ocean Energy Test Site since 2006. Real-time oceanographic data, time-series data and full spectral data are available on the Galway Bay dashboard and the Marine Institute’s Data Request service.
Atlantic Marine Renewable Energy Test Site (AMETS)
The Atlantic Marine Energy Test site in Belmullet Co. Mayo is being developed by SEAI in order to test full scale pre-commercial offshore energy technologies with TRL ranging from 7 to 9. The development of the AMETS has progressed steadily over the last decade. The following consents and planning permissions have been put in place for the site:
The ESB connection agreement is in place since 2011.
The foreshore lease for the AMETS and deployment of the offshore cable; awarded in 2015 for wave energy devices.
Planning permission the electrical substation, awarded in April 2017.
Since 2018 the main focus for the site has been the INTERREG NWE funded AFLOWT project (Accelerating market uptake of Floating Offshore Wind Technology). The project will support site development includes onshore civil works for substation build and grid reinforcements and offshore works for electricity export cable deployment.
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