Meeting our future power needs
scale renewable energy capacity – and offshore energy is ready to deliver.
THERE are a number of significant offshore wind projects already at different development stages in Irish waters from developers, including SSE, which can deliver up to 4.5 gigawatts of offshore energy in the coming years – enough installed capacity to meet half of our current electricity demand on the island.
Offshore wind can also deliver consistent and predictable power to our national grid. Typical load factors are in excess of 40pc, considerably higher than most other renewable electricity sources. With most of the proposed offshore wind projects in the Irish Sea, and close to demand load centres along the eastern seaboard, including SSE’s own Arklow Bank project, the development of offshore wind along simpler and fewer grid connections provides significant system demand benefits to the grid.
Indeed, the potential scale and strategic location of current offshore wind energy projects is such that this technology could easily meet the future energy demands of clean-tech multinationals, particularly large-scale load from data centres.
In all of this, creating investor confidence is crucial. By providing a specific auction category in the new renewable energy support scheme from the very outset for offshore wind, policymakers will provide the clear signals and mechanisms necessary to stimulate the investment required to continue to meet our low-carbon ambitions. But it won’t stop there; creating investor confidence in the energy industry will also act as a dramatic catalyst to the maritime sector, acting as an enabler to unlock new infrastructure investment in Ireland’s ports and maritime businesses. Fostering growth in a burgeoning offshore wind energy sector will not only maximise regional economic benefits and create local sustainable jobs, it can also unlock focused community participation in the sector, particularly around port towns.
We’re at a critically important point in our continued low carbon energy transition. Achieving our ambitions will not be based on a single technology solution, but by creating the policy environment that supports a diversified mix of technologies that can deliver large-scale renewable power.
We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to grasp the transformative effect that investment in offshore wind can deliver for Ireland. In doing so, we can support ongoing economic development, help achieve our decarbonisation targets, and provide continued security of supply. That’s why the policy choices we make in the months ahead will be so important for generations to come.