Cork coastal communities asked for input into wind energy locations

Campaign seeking views from local communities, individuals, fishing and seafood sector bodies, environmental organisations, and business groups

A public information and engagement period has been launched to seek the views of local south coast communities to determine where future offshore wind energy developments may take place.

Communities in Cork are being asked for their input into the State's first designated area for wind energy off the south coast. 

So-called "designated maritime area plans" (DMAPs), similar to county development or area plans used by local authorities, were signed off by the Cabinet in March and have been earmarked to speed up the rollout of offshore renewable energy.

Department of Environment officials believe having DMAPs will give certainty and clarity to interested parties as they gear up with plans for offshore wind, along the lines of county development plans where  commercial and residential land is zoned for specific purposes, along with key infrastructure.

The results of the country’s first-ever offshore wind auction on May 11 was described as “a landmark day for renewable energy”, with the average price at €86.05 coming in significantly lower than some had predicted.

The auction invited renewable energy projects to compete against each other, by bidding as low as possible, in order to win contracts to provide electricity at the bid price for a 20-year period.

Some 3.1 giga-watts (GW) of capacity will be gained from four projects given the go-ahead, more than half the Government’s target of 5GW of offshore wind energy for connection to the grid by the end of 2030, or the equivalent of 2.6 million Irish homes being powered, according to industry body Wind Energy Ireland.

North Irish Sea Array and Dublin Array off the coast of Dublin, Codling Wind Park off the coast of Wicklow, and Sceirde Rocks off the coast of Galway are the four projects.

This latest DMAP proposal off the south coast will determine where Ireland’s second offshore project will take place, with the auction expected to launch at the end of 2023, or early 2024, the Department of Environment said.

A public information and engagement period has been launched to seek the views of local south coast communities to determine where future offshore wind energy developments may take place, the department added.

The eight-week campaign is seeking the views from local communities, individuals, fishing and seafood sector bodies, environmental organisations, and business groups within Cork, Waterford, and Wexford.

Environment Minister Eamon Ryan said he "strongly encourages" public participation in the process.

"Future offshore wind energy development has the potential to offer enormous economic opportunities for Ireland’s coastal communities, in terms of jobs growth and local community development. 

"This rigorous plan-led approach adopted by Government will also offer the best way to protect local marine environments while also boosting local community development," he said.