The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, has spoken to prominent business figures in the renewable wind energy sector at the WindEurope Annual Event 2024 in Bilbao.

With over 12,000 attendees, the three-day conference is Europe's largest annual renewable wind energy event,

In a 'Ministerial Plenary Session on Offshore Wind', Minister Ryan outlined how Ireland is primed to become a key player in the future of renewable energy in Europe. The highly anticipated offshore wind ministerial session stands out as the most anticipated event of the conference, featuring a distinguished line-up of European ministers, officials from the European Commission, and senior figures from the business world. This discussion provided valuable insights across various aspects of offshore wind, encompassing topics such as volumes and investments, grids, supply chains, and floating wind technologies.

Minister Ryan said: "Ireland is already a wind energy success story. We get 35% of our electricity from onshore wind farms, which is more than anywhere else in Europe. We’re world leaders in integrating renewables onto our electricity grid, which often sees 75% of total electricity demand come from wind farms. For over 20 years we have built a thriving national onshore wind industry, but now we are looking to our seas. Ireland has one of the best offshore wind resources in the world and we are moving towards the delivery of offshore wind energy at a rapid pace. More offshore wind capacity entered the planning system last year than ever before and we have a robust, and growing, pipeline of projects in place.

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"We have already set out a clear pathway to achieving our 2030 offshore wind targets and our new Future Framework for Offshore Renewable Energy, set to be published next month, identifies the key actions Ireland will take to deliver 20 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2040 and at least 37 gigawatts by 2050. We have invested a lot of time and resources in building the necessary legislative and regulatory base to develop a sustainable industry that delivers for Ireland and Europe. We look forward to working alongside the leading industry figures here today at WindEurope conference as we move closer to Ireland’s future as a global leader in renewable wind energy."

The ministerial panel discussion was just one of several notable Ireland-related occasions featured at WindEurope 2024. Additional events included:

•a dedicated 'Ireland Markets Session' focusing on the latest developments in terms of regulation, auctions, policy developments and business opportunities for companies interested in Irish market. Matt Collins, Assistant Secretary for Renewable Electricity, Hydrogen and Grid at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, was a guest speaker at this session

•a networking and information session hosted at the Ireland pavilion by members of the government of Ireland's cross-departmental Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce. At this event, the taskforce introduced the recently-published ‘Powering Prosperity — Ireland’s Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy’ and also outlined the principles of the upcoming Future Framework for Offshore Renewable Energy Policy Statement, to be published next month. Officials from the SEAI also gave an update on the Offshore Renewable Energy Technology Road Map

•a panel discussion on grid access for wind farms, which featured EirGrid's Chief Infrastructure Officer, Michael McMahon.