2026-02-24

149. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the position regarding any further initiatives proposed by his Department to increase the support for offshore wind infrastructure in coastal communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13792/26]

Bhí mé ag éisteacht leis an díospóireacht anseo agus an méid a bhí ráite maidir le fuinneamh gaoithe go háirithe. Wind energy as it applies to coastal communities, in particular, is such an important aspect of our drive to meet the targets that are so often spoken about, yet there is no operating offshore wind farm in this country. What are we going to put in place to support communities, particularly coastal ones, in delivering wind projects and ensuring we will have wind capacity into the future?

The Government is committed to increasing support for offshore wind infrastructure in coastal communities. This is being done in ongoing consultation with all stakeholders in the development of offshore wind energy generation. This includes our local coastal communities and our valued fishing sector, which the Department recognises as crucial to the enduring success of offshore wind energy. The Department is committed to ongoing engagement with the fisheries sector under Ireland’s plan-led approach to offshore renewable energy, ORE, development. The seafood and offshore renewable energy working group provides a forum to facilitate constructive engagement on the interaction between the seafood and ORE industries. In September 2025, the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, and my fellow Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, announced the publication of the proposal and accompanying public participation statement for the national designated maritime area plan, DMAP, for ORE. The proposal outlines the Government’s commitment to extensive and inclusive consultation with the public and stakeholders throughout the process. In recognition of the importance of coastal communities in the national DMAP process, a dedicated community liaison service has been contracted, with the sole focus of working with and providing information directly to coastal communities. Furthermore, all offshore wind generation development projects under the offshore renewable energy support scheme, ORESS, are required to make contributions to their community benefit funds. The community benefit fund will be professionally managed on behalf of the local community, and a local community benefit fund committee will have full responsibility for its funding decisions. Given the anticipated high level of offshore generation, the amounts involved will be substantial and transformative for communities. It is estimated that these will comprise approximately €25 million per annum from the 3.1 GW of capacity contracted under phase 1 of ORESS.

I thank the Minister of State. I have no doubt about the value of offshore wind energy to local communities, particularly, where it is being landed onshore, and about the benefits it brings. I am aware of the community benefit funds, which the Minister of State mentioned. Two major projects are being run from Dún Laoghaire in my constituency, the Dublin Array and Ocean Winds projects. RWE is a partner in the Dublin Array project. Their office is now based in Dún Laoghaire, so it has a close connection to the community. I am aware that it is working hard on the development of information. There is a lot of misinformation about wind energy, particularly offshore wind energy, and about the environmental benefits and clean energy generated. Can we put measures in place that empower locally elected representatives to get answers where they need them and to counter the misinformation? In particular, I am thinking about concerns raised about possible environmental damage where pylons are driven into the seabed. My understanding from the experience of places like the North Sea and the coast of Scotland is that this can create small ecosystems that would not exist without the pylons. How can we counter misinformation?

I thank the Deputy for his comments. I agree on the challenge faced by many communities dealing with the prospect of planning consent for large offshore projects. In the Department, my fellow Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, is looking at the national DMAP ORE element. The development of that, using the ecosystem-based approach, is really important. It is important that it is informative as to what impact it will have not just on the environment but also on the habitat and the fisheries. There is a job of work as to how we can work with local government, councillors and local authorities to ensure that awareness and that education piece is promoted and that the offshore renewable zones, which avoid ecologically sensitive areas, are incentivised and supported in a sustainable model to ensure that both can coexist.

The Minister of State is absolutely right, and the value of the community benefit funds, in particular, is huge. We will not feel the effect of this until these things are up and running. Again, in relation to linking them into local communities and the people who are elected to represent those communities, he referred to the professional delivery of community benefit funds. Is there a role for local elected representatives or community councils or other democratic local bodies to have a say in how that money can be utilised and how it can be given best effect i the local community? As I said, these projects are good anyway, but what the Department has constructed here is a really good scheme to add benefits for local communities. They will see that once it is up and running, but there is a real benefit to allowing local councillors and local community organisations that have a democratic element to them to have an input into this rather than having it coldly and professionally delivered without the input of the local community.

Again, I agree with some of the Deputy's comments. It is an important piece that we need to get right. MARA can play an important role as to how it engages with those who are being supported through the community benefit fund and those in the locality who may not sit on the committee that manages the development fund but who have a role to play as to how we look at these types of projects. That approach would be very important in looking at the ecology piece and the benefit through the fund in order that it serves as a practical forum, that exchange of views can be brought to a meeting and there is problem-solving, guidance and data-sharing. That is an important focus that we will possibly go back and look to implement.