Yes, and..? Fast tracking Irish offshore wind

The Irish Government’s announcement of seven offshore wind projects being able to apply for planning permission under the (yet to be enacted) Marine Planning and Development Management Bill, 2020 (MPDM) is positive for the Irish offshore wind sector. A consenting regime is one of the key pillars of any successful offshore sector.

I am taking some inspiration from our proud theatrical traditions and rather than focusing on the potential limitations, I am accentuating the positives and looking to the future.

“Yes, and…” is a principle in drama improvisation where one player accepts what the other has provided and augments it. I am saying “yes” to this announcement. Providing a route to planning for these projects, in addition to those seeking to progress under previous foreshore leases such as Arklow, potentially means thousands of MWs clearing a key development hurdle.

Click here to view full article
Low carbon generation
Conall Bolger

Conall Bolger

Related thinking

Low carbon generation

Blowin’ in the Wind: Is offshore wind the answer to Ireland’s net zero future?

As Ireland works towards achieving net zero by 2050, there is a pressing need to develop additional renewable energy capacity. Offshore wind is likely to be a particularly important sector and, thanks to Ireland’s large offshore exclusive economic zone, presents a valuable opportunity for the Irish economy. Cognisant of this...

Regulation and policy

Calm after the storm although transition begins to lag | 2023 year in review

This year saw a return to relative calmness after the energy shocks of last year, while governments are playing an increasing role as the rate of new renewable generation lags. Spot pricing was subdued compared to last year, with no significant unexpected outages that caused sustained price spikes. Higher levels...

Net zero corporates and ESG

Race to net zero: Rebuilding investor confidence in the UK

In our recent insight paper “Race to net zero: Rebuilding investor confidence in the UK”, published on 30 November, we discuss how increased macroeconomic pressures and rising international competition for capital have impacted the UK’s ability to secure investment in renewables and maintain momentum towards net zero. We also investigate...

Net zero corporates and ESG

Help us understand your business decarbonisation challenges

Are you a large business impacted by the challenge of increasing energy costs and decarbonisation targets? If the answer is yes, then we’d love your help to find out more about the challenges you are facing. We recently published an insight paper on the challenging economic climate that businesses are...

Net zero corporates and ESG

Long-term regulatory and policy changes needed to avoid stalls to business decarbonisation

In light of the financial pressures faced by businesses from rising inflation and interest rates, tight supply chains and labour markets, alongside high energy bills, there is a high chance corporate investment in decarbonisation could be in trouble. In Cornwall Insight's latest Insight paper “Business net zero: Making progress in...

Commercial and market outlook

Winter 2023-24 price cap forecasts fall further below 2022-23 EPG, but long-term prospects remain uncertain

The predictions for the Default Tariff Cap in this piece are out of date, please click here to find our latest forecasts and commentary on the cap. Our latest forecasts for the Default Tariff Cap (price cap) have shown energy bill predictions for a typical household1 have fallen to £3,208...

Commercial and market outlook

Tales of the unexpected: what’s happening with gas prices

The gas sell-off for contracts relating to this winter/spring & coming summer has continued in the last few days. On January 16th alone, contracts closed down c15%-17% on gas contracts for this spring and through into summer. This is despite some analysts predicting that gapping-up would occur on the promise...

Business supply and services

Early implications of the Energy Bill Discount Scheme  

People are beginning to take in the changes from the business Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) to the Energy Bill Discount Scheme (EBDS) that are scheduled for the end of March. As we outlined in our release earlier in the week, the government support is to be scaled back significantly....