Senator Lisa Chambers Urges Immediate Action on Floating Offshore Wind Development in Response to Irish Times Article

Fianna Fáil Senator Lisa Chambers, European Parliament candidate for the Midlands Northwest, has called on Minster for the Environment Eamon Ryan to address the Seanad to explain his reasoning for holding back the west coast floating offshore wind industry and the economic transformation it will bring.

Senator Chambers made the call in light of comments by the Chairman of the Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce, Barry O’Sullivan, that the government is making a fundamental policy error in delaying the near-term development of floating offshore wind farms until the 2030s.

Mr O’Sullivan called out delays in zoning the west coast for floating offshore wind, delays that will put Ireland way behind other nations with nothing like its natural advantage in a race to become the European leader in renewable energy generation, Ms Chambers said.

The Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce was commissioned, she said, by the Government to evaluate the potential of the Shannon estuary and west coast renewables. The report recommends immediate investment in deepwater ports, the creation of a Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP) for the west coast, and the establishment of a national floating offshore wind development agency.

Chairman O’Sullivan highlighted the critical importance of not only seizing but prioritising the immense opportunity presented by floating offshore wind off the west coast. He said Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan's decision to postpone support for floating technology until the 2030s not only overlooks this opportunity but also jeopardises future foreign investment.

Senator Chambers says Mr O’Sullivan’s comments reiterate points she has continuously made about the critical importance of seizing the opportunity presented by floating offshore wind off the west coast. She says that Minister for the Environment, Climate, and Communications Eamon Ryan's reluctance to support this technology not only undermines Ireland's economic growth potential but also jeopardises future foreign direct investment and places existing economic sectors at risk.

"Mr O’Sullivan’s comments validate the concerns I've been raising regarding the urgent need for action on floating offshore wind farms," Senator Chambers states. "Minister Ryan's continued refusal to prioritise zoning of the west coast is a policy error of significant magnitude, one that threatens to impede Ireland's energy transition and economic progress. I’m asking now that he comes to the Seanad and explains this. We don’t want a representative of his reading his script out, we need the Minister himself to attend and have a discourse around exactly why he won’t get this going.

“At this stage it looks like we’re going to have to see the leader of the Green Party out of government before the greatest green opportunity the State will ever have is realised.”

She continued: “Minister Eamon Ryan and the Green Party were quick to attack me when I made these points last week and I sincerely hope they will listen to other voices now. Both he and I are politicians and not experts on wind energy, so should be willing to listen to those expert voices.

“The easiest way to reduce emissions is to farm less, drive less and live less but that’s not ambitious or does not present a vision for our country. We need somebody with vision in the driving seat, someone with ambition and then we can truly transform our country at a level that we could never have dreamed of. And that transformation will come from green energy."