Northern Ireland sets out Offshore Wind Delivery Plan

The Northern Ireland Department for the Economy (DfI) has published its draft Offshore Renewable Energy Action Plan (OREAP) setting out how it will deliver 1GW of capacity by 2030.

The document outlines 22 actions put forward by the government to enable key processes such as leasing, planning and consenting to be put in place for the deployment of new projects.

These include a proposed update to the 2012 Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) of offshore renewables in the Northern Ireland marine area as well as the establishment of a new decommissioning regime for future wind farms.

The draft plan states that the DfI will begin designing a future leasing round for offshore wind developments in 2023 and look to organise a new working group to consider offshore transmission arrangements and related grid development.

It will also set up a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department for Infrastructure and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to ensure that offshore renewable energy projects are prioritised through planning consent processes.

A consultation on the draft OREAP has also been opened to allow stakeholders a chance to provide feedback on the government’s proposals.

This is expected to close on 16 March 2023 after which the responses will be analysed by the DfI and considered throughout the further development and implementation of the OREAP.

RenewableNI director Steven Agnew said that the trade body will be leading the industry response to the OREAP.

He said: “The draft OREAP is a clear signal of intent by the Department to create the right conditions for our sector to generate 1GW of offshore wind energy, enough to power more than a quarter of Northern Ireland’s electricity demand.

“While this plan indicates the aim to generate 1GW from 2030, RenewableNI members are working together to achieve 80% renewable electricity generation in Northern Ireland by 2030.

“This will reduce climate change, boost the NI economy by £4.5bn and save consumers money.”

“Generating electricity and relying less on imported power is now an urgent priority for our economy as world instability continues to threaten progress.

“We in Northern Ireland and Ireland are at the periphery of the major international networks and we are now facing a golden opportunity to not only become more self-sufficient but potentially to become a net exporter of energy.

“The ambition to achieve 1GW of offshore wind from 2030 is very welcome.

“It requires all of us in the sector to work in harmony and I believe the will is there among the policy community and the investors to make this happen.”