The Irish Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan has said the country is primed to become a renewables powerhouse.
The Minister (pictured) was addressing delegates at WindEurope 2024 in Bilbao. In a ‘Ministerial Plenary Session on Offshore Wind’, he outlined how Ireland is well set to become a key player in the future of renewable energy in Europe.
The discussion offered insights into a range of areas within offshore wind, including: volumes and investments, grids, supply chains and floating wind.
Minister Ryan said: “Ireland is already a wind energy success story.
“We get 35% of our electricity from onshore wind farms, which is more than anywhere else in Europe. We are world leaders in integrating renewables onto our electricity grid, which often sees 75% of total electricity demand come from wind farms.
“For over 20 years we have built a thriving national onshore wind industry, but now we are looking to our seas. Ireland has one of the best offshore wind resources in the world and we are moving towards the delivery of offshore wind energy at a rapid pace.
“More offshore wind capacity entered the planning system last year than ever before and we have a robust, and growing, pipeline of projects in place.
“We have already set out a clear pathway to achieving our 2030 offshore wind targets and our new Future Framework for Offshore Renewable Energy, set to be published next month, identifies the key actions Ireland will take to deliver 20GW of offshore wind by 2040 and at least 37GW by 2050.
“We have invested a lot of time and resources in building the necessary legislative and regulatory base to develop a sustainable industry that delivers for Ireland and Europe.
“We look forward to working alongside the leading industry figures here today at WindEurope conference as we move closer to Ireland’s future as a global leader in renewable wind energy.”