Seven huge wind farms could be built off the coast of…

Seven huge wind farms could be built off the coast of five Irish counties and power millions of homes

Seven major offshore wind farms have been given the greenlight to apply for planning permission by the Irish Government.

It is hoped the projects, off the shores of Dublin, Galway, Louth, Meath and Wicklow, will help meet a national commitment to providing 3.5GW of wind energy in the next 10 years.

A GW is one million kilowatts - enough to power about 600,000 homes during peak time.

Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan issued Maritime Area Consents for the first phase of seven offshore renewable energy projects on Thursday after “a comprehensive assessment” by his department.

This means the firms behind the plans can now begin their pre-planning application engagement with An Bord Pleanála.

Here’s where the proposed wind farms are:

Codling Wind Park (Codling I and Codling II) - 13-22km off Co Wicklow coast - which could provide enough power for 1.2 million homes or 1.5GW

Oriel Wind Park - Irish Sea off Co Louth, East of Dundalk Bay which aims to provide 370MW (MW is 1,000 kilowatts) of electricity

Arklow Bank II - off the coast of Arklow, Co Wicklow - up to 800MW

Bray and Kish Banks (two wind farms) - 10km off coast of Dublin (600MW-900MW)

North Irish Sea Array - off the coast of counties Dublin, Meath and Louth (500,000 homes

Skerd Rocks - 5-8km off Carna, Galway - 100MW

Minister Ryan said: “With the award of Maritime Area Consents to seven Phase One projects we have given Ireland’s most viable and well-advanced offshore energy projects the opportunity to progress through the planning system and reach development.

“This is a significant milestone on the pathway to decarbonising our energy supply and securing energy independence.

“These first MACs have been carefully drafted to promote the speedy and efficient deployment of offshore renewable energy, while ultimately protecting the State’s rich and unique maritime resource, in line with the principles of the National Marine Planning Framework.”

Phase One projects are also required to pay an annual levy to the State – under the terms of their MACs.

The seven new phase one MACs follow the opening of the MAC assessment window in April and the publication of the ORESS (Offshore Wind Renewable Electricity Support Scheme Competition) Terms and Conditions in early November.

It was enabled by approval of the Maritime Area Planning Act last year which aims to deliver a secure pipeline of offshore renewable energy projects in the State, which can meet our Climate Action Plan targets.

The Maritime Area Regulatory Authority led by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage will be in place in early 2023, as set out in the Climate Action Plan, to provide a pathway for projects that will help the government meet its 2030 climate targets through facilitating offshore renewables.

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