Offshore wind firms battle barriers to progress

“For investors, developers and everybody else certainty is the key. And the key to certainty is no surprises,” said Cork Chamber director of sustainability Rory Kelleher.

Cork Chamber has urged Government to commit to the new timelines set out for the delivery of offshore wind projects, following past missed deadlines which have held the industry back.

Government recently announced it will speed up phase two offshore wind projects and the introduction of a new phase three for 2GW of floating offshore wind, but many stakeholders have their doubts having battled disappointment before. Cork Chamber's director of sustainability, Rory Kelleher said:

In the past deadlines have been regularly missed, and meeting these deadlines is essential to provide certainty to industry, international investors, and the offshore wind supply chain and manufacturers. Otherwise Ireland risks being left behind.

“The development of regional meshed offshore grids is also welcome to facilitate green hydrogen production which will provide us with back up when the wind isn’t blowing, and enable us to export and sell electricity and hydrogen to other countries. 

"But again we need to see a clear timeline for delivery of these meshed regional offshore grids, and that timeline needs to be delivered upon," he said.

Stumbling Blocks

Last week, Government controversially introduced new regulations which could become further stumbling blocks for offshore wind targets to be met by 2030.

“It has to be pointed out that this new policy on offshore wind does not reflect the consultation carried out last year by Government with industry on how to move forward, which undermines the certainty and confidence that the industry and developers need to deliver, and international investors expect,” said Mr Kelleher.

One of the new regulations requires that all future offshore wind farms must be built in 'Designated Marine Areas', which have yet to be identified and may not be for 18 to 24 months.

“This is a radical change in policy from Government that has created massive levels of uncertainty among international investors and the global supply-chain,” warned Wind Energy Ireland CEO Noel Cunniffe.

They are gambling that State agencies can identify Designated Marine Areas quickly. Unfortunately, our experience is that those agencies are grossly under-resourced and will struggle to deliver in time unless the right people with the right skills are put to work on it as soon as possible.

In addition, future offshore wind farms will not connect to points on land but to offshore substations to be designed and built by EirGrid, which is something that has never been done before by major players in the market such as Wind Energy Ireland.

The company said it is not opposed to the State identifying locations for the development of offshore renewable energy or that projects connect to EirGrid substations, but it said that these changes needed to be put in place years ago.

Wind Energy Ireland said the latest changes will prolong the country’s dependency on imported fossil fuels and lock in more carbon emissions.

Our members have been working for years to deliver the projects Ireland needs only for the rules to change, without warning, in the middle of the process. We are effectively being told to stop developing offshore wind energy and wait for further decisions at a point when we have no time to lose.

Mr Cunniffe argued that the solution to further Ireland’s offshore progress is to for the relevant Government departments including housing and environment to talk with those working in the offshore wind industry and those locating potential sites.

Mr Cunniffe also said additional resources need to be provided to An Bord Pleanála and the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority to help offshore firms reach their targets.

Meanwhile, further delays in delivery, whether its locating sites or notorious An Bord Pleanála backlogs, could impact future investment into Ireland and Cork specifically.

“In terms of Ireland competing for investment in offshore wind with multiple other countries in Europe and around the world, the interest in developing offshore wind has just taken off globally,” said Mr Kelleher.

“We need to create an environment that’s attractive enough that we get that investment and that development needed to meet our climate and energy targets,” he added.

Mr Kelleher said that the offshore companies that have chosen to erect turbines around Cork are committed to their plans there, but developers continue to be worried about future delays.

“For investors, developers, and everybody else certainty is the key. And the key to certainty is no surprises,” he said.