Ireland is on track to meet its offshore wind targets for 2030, according to the Department of the Environment.
The claims comes after Wind Energy Ireland warned that Ireland could miss its 2030 climate targets unless urgent action is taken.
It added that the Government has 12 months to deliver on measures needed for offshore wind development.
The Programme for Government commits to 5,000 megawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030, which would require between seven and 10 new wind farms off our coasts.
Wind Energy Ireland says that may not happen because the government is not acting fast enough.
There is currently only one at Arklow Bank, which has a capacity of 25 megawatts.
Wind Energy Ireland says offshore wind farms are big complex projects and new laws, regulations and infrastructure plans need to be in place as soon as possible to provide certainty
The body has a list of actions that urgently need to happen.
These include passing the Maritime Area Planning Bill before the end of this year and providing additional resources for state bodies such as Eirgird, An Bord Pleanála and the Commission on Energy Regulation.
It also wants a firm date for the first offshore wind energy auction.
WEI says offshore wind farms are more reliable sources of energy than those on land because they are larger and better able to capture energy at low wind speeds.
The Department says the Marine Area Planning Bill will be enacted by the end of this year.
The public bodies working in this area are equipped to do the job, the Dept added, and the first auction for offshore wind energy will be announced once the law is in place.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
