Ireland is on track to reach a significant renewable energy milestone, with the nation projected to reach 5,000 MW of installed onshore wind capacity by the end of the year. The announcement coincides with the opening of Ireland's second Wind Energy Trade Show, where over a thousand industry delegates are gathering at the RDS in Dublin.

The two-day event kicks off against the backdrop of recent government commitments to expanding renewable energy. Last week, the government revealed plans for a new offshore wind auction slated for early 2025. This auction announcement comes as the country's first offshore wind projects in a generation make their way through the planning process, signaling a broader push towards diversifying Ireland’s renewable energy portfolio.

The Wind Energy Trade Show, supported by major sponsors RWE and the Skillnet Offshore Wind Academy, features leading voices from the industry. Eamon Ryan TD, Minister for the Environment, Climate, and Communications, is set to officially open the event on 7 November.

Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, said: "Ireland is a huge opportunity for investors combining arguably the best untapped offshore wind resource in the world, with a skilled workforce, decades of experience in onshore wind energy and an increasingly supportive policy framework.

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"Our first wind farm was built in 1992 at Bellacorick in Co Mayo and today’s individual turbines are as powerful as that first Irish wind farm. Before the end of the year, we will reach 5,000 MW of installed onshore wind capacity, reinforcing Ireland’s position as a global leader in onshore wind.

"These onshore wind farms support 5,000 jobs, invest tens of millions of euro into rural economies every year and provide clean, affordable, electricity to Irish families, businesses and communities. Every single turbine is an Irish success story."

The Trade Show will also celebrate a series of recent positive developments in offshore wind energy.

In recent months the Government has published a new national industrial strategy for offshore wind that will put Ireland at the forefront of Europe's energy transformation and a Future Framework setting out a policy vision for offshore wind post-2030.

Last month the Oireachtas approved the first ever Designated Maritime Area Plan for offshore renewable energy, with the Government confirming only last week that the second offshore wind auction is set for early 2025.

Mr Cunniffe continued: "In 2024 the first six offshore wind energy projects in a generation will apply for planning permission. Delivering all of these projects safely through the planning system must be a national priority.

"They are essential not just to reaching our 2030 climate action targets but to building the supply-chain for more fixed and floating wind energy farms in the next decade. Each of those projects is another building block laying the foundation of Irish energy independence."

RWE is, for the second year running, the Strategic Sponsor for the trade show. Vanessa O'Connell is Project Director for RWE's Dublin Array offshore wind energy project and will participate in the keynote panel session on Wednesday morning.

She said: "RWE is delighted to be a strategic sponsor at the Wind Energy Trade Show 2024. This event will bring key players in the global renewable energy supply chain together with Irish leaders, businesses and innovators.

"On a personal level, I’d like to thank the organisers for the opportunity to take part in the keynote panel Our journey to energy independence. Additionally, as part of the exciting two-day proceedings, RWE will be driving collaboration through the hosting of a roundtable event on marine cluster development."

The trade show highlights Ireland's strategic ambitions for wind energy and offers an industry platform for exploring future developments in both onshore and offshore wind, a critical part of the nation's decarbonisation goals.