Irish Energy Minister Eamon Ryan (pictured) has launched a consultation on the leasing process for the first phase of offshore wind projects.
The talks will centre on new Maritime Area Consents (MAC), which under the Irish system are seabed leases.
Developers need a MAC to apply for full planning permission.
Ryan said the MAC regime will assess the viability of proposed offshore renewable energy developers in a number of key areas, including in respect of their financial and technical competency, in advance of developers proceeding to environmental studies.
The consultation follows the enactment of the Maritime Area Planning (MAP) Act on the 23rd December, 2021. MAP provides the legal underpinning for an entirely new marine planning system.
The Maritime Area Consent (MAC) regime will assess the viability of proposed offshore renewable energy developers in a number of key areas, including in respect of their financial and technical competency, in advance of developers proceeding to environmental studies.
“As Minister for the Environment, I will have the responsibility of inviting Maritime Area Consent applications from an initial batch of offshore renewable energy projects,” said Ryan.
“The grant of the first Maritime Area Consents this year will represent a significant milestone in realising our ambitious climate targets of 5GW [Giga Watt] of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030 and a long-term plan to take advantage of a potential of at least 30GW of floating wind thereafter.”
The first MACs are expected to be issued in the second half of this year.