The Irish onshore wind industry must reduce costs to ensure the technology hits its 2030 deployment targets, IWEA 2020 has heard.
Energy Minister Eamon Ryan told delegates the outcome of the RESS1 auction, which delivered 479MW of onshore wind at an average weighted strike price of €74.08 per megawatt-hour, was “highly significant” but the sector needs to “bring prices down further”.
Ryan’s comments are carried in today’s special edition of reNEWS LiVE@ IWEA 2020, which reports from the annual conference of the Irish Wind Energy Association.
The edition also reports on how Energy Department officials are considering watering down permitting eligibility requirements for the first RESS offshore wind auction due to open next year.
Meanwhile, the offshore wind industry is concerned the government is acting too slowly to develop policies needed to underpin the emergence of the sector, IWEA 2020 also heard.
The association’s offshore wind committee chair Peter Lefroy told delegates there are fears that work on the core pillars of consenting legislation, grid access and an offshore auction, is not progressing at speed.
“Offshore wind is not an option. It is not a nice-to-have. We will not reach our targets without significant levels of offshore wind being built out,” he said.
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