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Northern Ireland affirms commitment to offshore wind

By: Tom Russell 16/01/2023 Northern Ireland's Department for the Economy

General Windfarms

Northern Ireland's Department for the Economy (DfE) and The Crown Estate (TCE) have agreed a Statement of Intent to express their commitment towards establishing offshore wind leasing for Northern Ireland. The Statement of Intent outlines the ways in which DfE and The Crown Estate will work together to create the conditions for offshore wind leasing in the Northern Ireland marine area.

Under its Energy Strategy for Northern Ireland (Energy Strategy) and Energy Strategy Action Plan 2022 (Action Plan), Northern Ireland aims to install 1GW of offshore wind from 2030.

The Statement outlines the ways in which the two organisations aim to work together to enable leasing for offshore wind in the Northern Ireland (NI) marine area, in parallel with work to address relevant regulatory and planning challenges in conjunction with other Government Departments.

Peter Russell, Director of Electricity and Security of Supply at DfE said: “Our ambition of delivering 1GW of offshore wind energy is Northern Ireland’s most ambitious energy infrastructure plan, with the potential to supply enough energy to power one million homes. The Statement of Intent is a major milestone for the Department for the Economy and The Crown Estate towards unlocking the potential of the Northern Ireland seabed and achieving the Energy Strategy vision of self-sufficiency in affordable renewable energy.”

Gus Jaspert, Managing Director Marine at The Crown Estate said: “We are highly committed to working in partnership to sustainably manage the seabed and the natural environment for its many users, and to unlocking its potential to support the transition to a net zero energy future. This statement of intent marks an important step forwards, laying the groundwork for building the right conditions for offshore wind leasing and realising the potential benefits for the people of Northern Ireland – local economic investment, low-carbon electricity, and a more sustainable and secure long-term energy supply.”

The Energy Strategy for Northern Ireland establishes a commitment to diversify the renewable generation mix with an initial focus on offshore wind and marine renewables. The Energy Strategy Action Plan 2022 (published 16 January 2022) includes Action 14 to “Develop an action plan to deliver 1GW of offshore wind from 2030."

Over the course of 2022, DfE led the development of the Draft Offshore Renewable Energy Action Plan (OREAP), taking the first steps towards delivering on the commitments established in the Energy Strategy. A public consultation on the Draft OREAP was launched on 21 December 2022 and closes on 16 March 2022

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Northern Ireland affirms commitment to offshore wind

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