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“More Viable Routes to Market for Offshore Wind Are Central to Ireland’s Transition” – NESC at Annual WEI Offshore Industry Conference
- 29 May 2025
- Topics: Energy and renewables
- Types: News
Kate Garth (RWE Renewables), Cathal FitzGerald (NESC), Pauline Fournols (WindEurope), Damien Clarke (DECC), and Wadia Fruergaard (Vestas)
“Ireland’s energy transition will only be realised when a market effectively connects consumers (who are willing and able to pay) and developers (who are able to supply) with viable projects” – this was a key message from NESC to the annual gathering of the offshore wind industry in Dublin recently.
Dr Cathal FitzGerald (Senior Analyst, NESC) was addressing Wind Energy Ireland’s Offshore Wind 2025 conference on the topic of ‘Designing a Competitive Future Offshore Wind Industry’.
“Ireland, like many countries, has placed much responsibility for the deployment of clean energy infrastructure, for meeting national targets – for the transition, in essence – on the market,” he said. “Progress rests on securing investment, on attractive routes to market, and the ability to predictably recover costs through auctions or power purchase agreements. There is an unavoidable tension for the price to be high enough to attract and predictably reward developers, but also be low enough to ensure affordability for the consumer and protect overall national competitiveness. This is an area for policy action now.”
NESC was setting the scene for the session, based on the Council’s recent report Ireland’s Future Power System and Economic Resilience. The conference then heard about the role of non-price criteria, EU legislation such as RED III and NZIA, and more details on Ireland’s forthcoming Tonn Nua auction.
“The EU, the State, the private finance sector, and industry must respond credibly to the finance requirements for the transition. The State must be the ‘system architect’ in the plan-led approach that works for industry and consumers,” Dr FitzGerald said. “The Government has responded to the Council’s analysis by establishing a new Climate Investment Clearing House and a joint Government Industry Forum on Offshore Renewable Energy. And the Council’s report provides an agenda for policy action,” he concluded.
