"No one has ever weaponised access to the sun or wind" said Eamon Ryan as nine countries, including our own, vowed to meet 85% of the EU’s offshore wind target by 2050.
And with seas seven times our landmass, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications believes we are well placed to support the drive away from fossil fuels for our energy security, climate and economy.
Ireland is co-president of the North Seas Energy Cooperation which also includes Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the European Commission.
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They agreed at a historic meeting in Dun Laoghaire yesterday to accelerate Europe’s move towards energy independence by creating at least 260GW of the EU’s 300GW target.
That’s around 10% of the EU’s energy supply which Minister Ryan says will be further boosted by solar and hydro energy.
Mr Ryan said: “This project is in response to the war on energy that has been started by the Russian Government.
“The consequential energy price shock and security of supply crisis has shown us how crucial it is we move away, as quickly as possible, from our reliance on expensive and ransomed fossil fuels.
“It is our opportunity to switch to our own resources, to protect our people, secure supply [and] lower costs.
He admits that NSEC “should have been quicker” to roll out renewables “but the war has changed things”.
And while he can’t guarantee there will be no blackouts this winter, he says the real challenge is the cost people are expected to pay for fossil fuels.
“With this approach, we can provide assurances to householders and businesses – in our own countries and across Europe – that firstly, Europe will be energy independent, and secondly, that these new renewable energy sources and resultant hydrogen from our seas will be fairly shared and, critically, will be affordable.”
He says it is also “central to meeting our climate targets”.
Welcoming the new targets, the Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, said the “commitment is a great example of the kind of regional cooperation that the Commission envisaged in our Offshore Renewable Energy Strategy”.
“The green energy transition has only become more urgent since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” he added.
“Increasing renewable energy will not only help to improve the sustainability of our energy sector, it will improve our security of supply and the affordability of energy – two challenges that we are facing in the EU at the moment.”
It came as a new report on Cork wind farms found the sector boosted the county’s economy by €7.2 million this year while creating employment and supporting local communities.
Powering Cork by Wind Energy Ireland was also launched Monday by Minister for Foreign Affairs, Defence and TD for Cork South-Central, Simon Coveney.
While households feeling the pinch of the energy crisis, it outlined how communities, voluntary organisations and schools in Co Cork benefitted from €437,000 of direct funding in 2020.
Minister Coveney said: “It has never been more vital that we utilise our wind resources in Ireland to create renewable energy and ensure the security of our own energy supply.
“Alongside moving to greater energy independence, onshore and offshore wind present significant opportunities in Cork and across Ireland in job creation, investment in the local economy and rural and coastal community support.
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