The Irish government will publish the Policy Statement on the Framework for Phase Two Offshore Wind later this week, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, announced on Tuesday.
Ireland seeks to deliver 5 GW of offshore wind by 2030 by two phases of projects. The phase one projects were granted Maritime Area Consents in December 2022 and can now take part in the first Offshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme Auction (ORESS 1), which targets 2.5 GW of capacity.
According to the policy statement, the first auction for offshore wind under the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (ORESS 2) will kick off by the end of 2023 after a public consultation on draft auction terms and conditions in the middle of 2023, the minister said.
The first auction will aim to deliver offshore wind capacity on the south coast of Ireland, consistent with available onshore grid capacity. The Phase Two auctions as a whole will result in the development of offshore wind capacity within Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Designated Areas, says the announcement.
“The approach we have chosen streamlines the development process for offshore renewable energy by optimising the consenting, planning and grid development resources of the state,” said Ryan.
Minister Ryan also confirmed that the maximum offer price for ORESS 1 will be EUR 150 (USD 160) per MWh.
(EUR 1 = USD 1.066)
Source: renewablesnow
