Publication
Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan II (OREDP II)
From Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
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Please find here all draft OREDP II documents published for public consultation, which ran from 24 February 2023 to 20 April 2023. Responses are currently being considered.
With a sea area seven times the size of our land area, Ireland has immense potential for wind, wave and tidal energy that can aid in delivery of our long-term climate goals. The Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan II (OREDP II) is a significant step towards harnessing this potential for the benefit of all. Significant challenges must first be overcome, including the climactic and oceanographic conditions particularly off the west coast, the commercial readiness of renewable technologies, and our knowledge of the marine environment.
The OREDP II assessment encompasses the maritime area covering all of Ireland’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which reaches up to 200 nautical miles or 370 km off the coast. The plan will consider advances in technology to assess the offshore renewable energy (ORE) potential in Irish waters. It will seek to map areas most suitable for ORE using the latest data available on a range of themes including other maritime activities and marine biodiversity.
The OREDP II will assist in delivering the Programme for Government commitment to develop a long-term plan to take advantage of a potential of at least 30GW of floating wind off the Atlantic coast and become a major contributor to a pan-European renewable energy generation and transmission system.
As work on the OREDP II is progressed, public participation will be sought, particularly from coastal and marine communities, to ensure a wide variety of views are captured on the draft plan.
The draft OREDPII plan and supporting environmental reports are currently available for public consultation.
The National Marine Planning Framework (NMPF), Ireland’s first national marine spatial plan, was approved by Government in 2021. This sets out an overall decision-making framework for our shared maritime space and seeks to improve the management of Ireland’s seas. Within this context, the OREDP II is a sectoral spatial plan for ORE. In developing the plan, core principles within the NMPF are being centrally considered, namely the protection of the marine environment and biodiversity, while also recognising our seas are a shared space with potential for co-existence with other maritime activities.
It is intended that the outcomes from the OREDP II will inform how the State transitions to a more plan-led approach to the development of ORE. This will offer many advantages, including minimising and streamlining of exploratory works undertaken at sea, and providing greater certainty to all stakeholders. Further research is being undertaken by Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) to assess the range of plan-led options available.
Led by the DECC, the OREDP II involves engagement and input from a wide range of stakeholders across the public sector, academia, industry, coastal and marine communities, and environmental groups, participating through:
- A Steering Group, with members from the major policy departments, provides whole-of-government policy input on the scope and overall approach.
- A Data and Scientific Group comprised of representatives from bodies with data and expert knowledge relevant to the OREDP II from across the public sector. Its functions include:
1. Helping identify data to inform the ORE resource assessment.
2. Considering gaps in current marine data and prioritising action to address gaps.
3. Advising on opportunities and constraints from different sectors.
- An Advisory Group comprised of stakeholders from the economic, environmental, social and academic pillars who share expertise, knowledge, and local perspectives.
The OREDP II involves a number of environmental assessments, including a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and an Appropriate Assessment (AA), to evaluate potential impacts and inform the direction of the plan. These will be the subject of statutory public consultations.
An AA is an assessment of the potential adverse effects of a plan or project (in combination with other plans or projects) on Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas. These sites are protected by National and European Law.
In accordance with Article 6(3) of the EU Habitats Directive (Directive 92/43/EEC) as transposed into Irish law by the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011 as amended, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications has AA screening to assess if the draft outline of the Plan, individually or in combination with other plans or projects is likely to have a significant effect on a European Site(s).
Having carefully considered the information, reasoning and conclusion presented in the "OREDP II - Screening for Appropriate Assessment" prepared by NIRAS Group (UK) Ltd for ClearLead Consulting Limited, the Department has determined that, pursuant to Regulation 42 of S.I. No. 477/2011, as amended, and for the purposes of Article 6(3) of the Habitats Directive, that it could not be excluded, on the basis of objective scientific information following screening , that the OREDP II, individually, or in combination with other plans and projects, would have likely significant effects on a European site and therefore an AA is required. As part of the next stage of this process, a Natura Impact Statement (NIS) will be prepared and will be made available for public consultation in due course.
AA Screening Appendix B - Sites and QIs scoped in for Birds - Fixed Wind
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AA Screening Appendix C - Sites and QIs scoped in for Non Birds - Fixed Wind
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SEA is a process for the formal, systematic evaluation of the likely significant environmental effects of implementing a plan or programme, before a decision is made to adopt the plan or programme.
A consultation on the Scoping for SEA for the OREDP II was held from 19 April to 27 May 2022. As part of the next stage of this process an Environmental Report will be prepared and will be made available for public consultation in due course.
Published in 2014, Ireland’s first Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan (OREDP) provided a framework for the sustainable development of Ireland's ORE resources, setting out key principles, policy actions and enablers for delivery of Ireland's significant potential in this area. The OREDP I is currently guiding the State’s policy approach to achieving 5GW of ORE by 2030, mostly through fixed-bottom wind turbines in relatively shallow waters of up to 70 metres off the east and southeast coasts.
An Interim Review of the OREDP was published in May 2018.