Minister Ryan publishes draft plan identifying proposed areas off the south coast suitable for offshore wind projects

New draft South Coast Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP) identifies four proposed areas off the south coast for offshore wind projects

South Coast DMAP is Ireland's first ever spatial plan for renewable energy Six-week public consultation on draft DMAP now open

The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, has today published the draft South Coast Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP), Ireland's first ever spatial plan for renewable energy at sea.

The draft South Coast DMAP identifies four maritime areas off the south coast in which development of offshore renewable energy (ORE) is proposed to take place over the next decade.

An independent economic analysis, published alongside the draft South Coast DMAP, highlights the potential economic benefits associated with implementation of the plan, which could deliver inward investment of €4.4 billion and an estimated 49,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) years of employment to the Irish economy. The analysis further highlights that more than 65% of inward investment and employment opportunities could be captured by the south coast region.

The draft South Coast DMAP is part of a plan-led approach to ensure that ORE will only be located in areas off the south coast that are environmentally suitable for such development.

Protecting the marine environment and biodiversity and supporting citizens reliant on the sea for their livelihood are central to the sustainable development of the south coast's ORE potential.

The four maritime areas proposed for ORE projects have been identified following a comprehensive environmental assessment process and an almost year-long engagement process with coastal communities and stakeholders, de-risking the DMAPs as much as possible.

The draft South Coast DMAP proposes that a first offshore wind project with a capacity of approximately 900MW will take place in 'Tonn Nua', off the coast of County Waterford, and will aim for deployment by 2030. It further proposes that over the next decade, further offshore wind projects will be developed in the areas of 'Lí Ban', also off the coast of County Waterford, and 'Manannán' and 'Danu' - both off the south coast of County Wexford.

Welcoming the draft South Coast DMAP, Minister Ryan said:

"This is a hugely significant milestone - the first time the State has developed a forward spatial plan for renewable energy at this scale. Since taking office, it has been a priority of mine and this Government's to overhaul the regulatory and legislative system so that we could get to this point. We can now plan to run an auction, and the winners can then proceed to deal with a brand-new purpose-developed regulator (MARA) before applying to An Bord Pleanála for development permission.

"What is also critical is that at all stages of its development, the draft South Coast DMAP has been informed and shaped by close co-operation with local communities and with consideration for all maritime activities, including fishing and seafood production and environmental protection. Now, I encourage people to engage again over the coming six weeks of further consultation.

"By 2030 and beyond, the development of offshore wind projects in the South Coast DMAP areas will bring enormous economic opportunities for coastal communities, in terms of jobs growth and local community development."

The draft South Coast DMAP and accompanying environmental assessments will now undergo a six-week statutory public consultation period.

To view the draft South Coast DMAP and for information on how to make a submission to the consultation please see here: https://www.gov.ie/southcoastDMAP

ENDS

Notes to the Editor

Ireland's offshore wind ambition

Climate Action Plan 2024 commits to achieving at least 5GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030. A further 2GW is earmarked for the production of green hydrogen and other non-grid uses. Ireland's plan-led approach to delivering our offshore wind targets includes a number of overlapping phases:

• Phase One, which corresponds to all relevant projects that were successful in the first offshore renewable electricity auction (ORESS 1);
• Phase Two, an accelerated work programme, focusing on near-term delivery based on technology with proven scalability in other jurisdictions, and which will procure the additional offshore wind capacity required to meet Government's 2030 target; and
• The fully plan-led Future Framework.

In May 2023, the results of Ireland's first offshore wind auction, ORESS 1, underscored the State's ambitions within offshore renewable energy. The highly competitive price secured - at an average of €86.05/MWh (megawatt hour) - was one of the lowest prices paid by an emerging offshore wind market in the world. Over 3GW of capacity was procured from four offshore wind projects under ORESS1, which will deliver over 12TWh (Terawatt hours) of renewable electricity per year. This was the largest volume of renewable energy Ireland has ever procured at auction, sufficient to power over 2.5 million Irish homes with clean electricity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 1 million tonnes by 2030.

Draft South Coast DMAP

Upon its completion, the establishment of the South Coast DMAP will give effect to the decision by Government and the Oireachtas in 2023 that, as part of the new national plan-led regime for ORE, all post-Phase One offshore wind developments in Ireland will be located within maritime areas identified for this purpose by Government through the establishment of DMAPs. In doing so, it will provide a framework for the sustainable use of the State's offshore wind resource and marine space through coordinated, coherent and transparent decision making in relation to ORE development. When consultation responses have been collated and incorporated, a final draft DMAP will be laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas. Both houses must approve the draft Plan and if they do, the Minister can then declare the Plan to be adopted. It then becomes a statutory spatial plan.

The draft South Coast DMAP puts forward four proposed Maritime Areas, within which future deployment of fixed offshore wind (fixed-bottom turbines) may take place, subject to the outcome of a six-week public consultation. These are as follows:

• Tonn Nua (New Wave) is situated off the coast of County Waterford and encompasses a total marine area of 312.6km². The distance to shore varies from between 12.2km along the western boundary to 12.4km along the northern boundary. Tonn Nua has a mean water depth of 57m, with a minimum water depth of 48m and a maximum water depth of 69m, giving an overall range of 21m. With a typical density of 4.5MW/km2, a 900MW development would use approximately 65% of the total marine space within Tonn Nua. The spatial flexibility provided will allow for windfarm layout and project boundaries to be adjusted in accordance with further required measures identified in the draft DMAP in order to address potential adverse environmental impacts. However, the scale and location of this deployment will be contingent on a range of additional factors, including further project level environmental assessments and technical analysis.
• Lí Ban (the Mermaid Saint) is situated off the coast of County Waterford and has a total area of 486km², with distances to shore varying between 49km along the western boundary and 29km along the northern boundary. Lí Ban has a mean water depth of 71m with a minimum water depth of 66m and a maximum water depth of 76m, giving an overall range of 10m.
• Manannán (a sea god associated with Ireland and a divine lord of the Tuatha Dé Dannan) is situated off the south coast of County Wexford and has a total area of 342km². The distance to shore varies between 52km along the western boundary and 27km along the northern boundary. Manannán has a mean water depth of 69 m with a minimum water depth of 64m and a maximum water depth of 72m, giving an overall range of 8m.
• Danu (mother of the Tuatha Dé Danann people and the Celtic goddess of nature) is situated off the south coast of County Wexford and has a total area of 304km². The distance to shore varies between 52km along the western boundary and 27km along the northern boundary. Danu has a mean water depth of 67m with a minimum water depth of 55m and a maximum water depth of 78m, giving an overall range of 23m.

ORESS 2.1

The draft design of the first offshore wind auction to take place in the South Coast DMAP after its adoption has been published for consultation today. It can be viewed here: Consultation on ORESS 2.1 Auction Design : Draft Terms and Conditions

The draft Terms and Conditions for the Tonn Nua Offshore wind Auction, also known as ORESS (Offshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme) 2.1, set out the proposed qualification criteria for the auction, the auction procedures, linkages to the Maritime Area Consent process, and obligations on the winning bidder. Submissions on the draft Terms and Conditions are requested by 7 June 2024, with the final auction design to be published in early July. The auction is planned to commence before the end of 2024.

Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce

The cross-Government Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce was established by Minister Ryan to ensure a joined-up approach across government, agencies and industry - in co-ordinating the full range of activities required to maximise the economic benefits of offshore wind development to the State. The Taskforce is involved in identifying all aspects of work on the critical path to delivery of offshore wind and proactively identifying risks and managing associated mitigation measures. The key actions for 2024 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.

Climate Action Plan 2024

Climate Action Plan 2024 was approved by Government in December 2023, subject to public consultation and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). The public consultation will open shortly. Climate Action Plan 2024 is the third annual update to Ireland's Climate Action Plan 2019. This plan is the second to be prepared under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021 and following the introduction of economy-wide Carbon Budgets and Sectoral Emissions Ceilings. The implementation of the Climate Action Plan will create jobs, new economic opportunities and protect people and the planet.

You can view Climate Action Plan 2024 and its annex of actions on the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications website. Click here to subscribe to the Government of Ireland's Climate Action newsletter.