The country has plans for auctions totaling 13.6 GW between 2024 and 2030.
Ireland has great ambitions for offshore wind, reflected in its targets of 5 GW by 2030, 20 GW by 2040 and 37 GW by 2050. In the first steps, the Irish Republic focuses on fixed-bottom projects, but has also planned for floating wind, which has great potential in the windy Irish waters.
Four projects totaling 3.1 GW secured route to market in Ireland’s first offshore wind auction (ORESS 1) in June this year. This marks the shift from an open-door to a government-led auction market, with an offshore wind build-out planned in phases. Phase 1 also awarded maritime area consents to two projects totaling ~1.2 GW that have until 2025 to find a commercial route to market, as they did not secure support in ORESS 1.
To reach the targets annual auctions are scheduled for the rest of the decade:
- Phase 2 will fill the gap to achieve the 5 GW target by 2030. A first auction of up to 900 MW (ORESS 2.1) is planned to kick off by the end of 2024, while a second auction (ORESS 2.2) is scheduled for 2025. ORESS 2.2 will likely depend on the two projects from Phase 1 finding alternative routes to market, so the capacity of this auction could change.
- Phase 3 is intended to unlock the potential for a floating offshore wind industry by awarding 2 GW floating wind in auctions in 2025 (ORESS 3.1 and 3.2). Due to grid constraints this will not be grid-connected and the capacity will be devoted to renewable hydrogen production.
- The Future Framework is the long-term build-out plan of the Irish Government with yearly auctions planned between 2026 and 2030 (called ORESS FFs), which will award 9.5 GW over a five-year period.
Aegir Insights Market Intelligence on Ireland and Auction Intelligence
Aegir Insights has just published updated market reports to our subscribing clients on the Irish offshore wind market, where we are analyzing coming auctions and opportunities as well as other key developments in the market.
Furthermore Aegir Insights releases a monthly Auction Intelligence package for subscribers, including an updated Auction Database, giving an overview of offshore wind auctions across all global markets, their volumes and when they are starting.
Want to learn more about Ireland's offshore wind ambitions, the planned auctions and phases in Ireland and Aegir Insights' offshore wind market intelligence? Please reach out to us here.