Accelerating Ireland’s energy transition

Ireland must accelerate the delivery of renewable generation, grid infrastructure, and energy efficiency measures to reduce exposure to volatile fossil fuel markets, according to Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O’Brien TD.

Minister O’Brien says that recent geopolitical events such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the US-Israel bombing of Iran have demonstrated the risks associated with Ireland’s continued dependence on imported fossil fuels, arguing that the energy transition had become both an environmental and economic imperative.

While acknowledging the immediate pressure on households and businesses from energy costs, O’Brien says that energy efficiency and renewable generation are measures capable of providing longer-term resilience against future shocks.

The Government has introduced a €750 million package of supports for productive sectors and vulnerable households, while significant resources are also being directed towards residential energy efficiency.

Approximately 240,000 homes have now been retrofitted, with the Government targeting around 70,000 further retrofits in 2026. O’Brien highlights the introduction of the retrofitting passport, intended to allow households to undertake measures incrementally rather than waiting until they can complete a full deep retrofit.

“Deep retrofit is very good and is where we want to get to, but any measures that can be taken to reduce energy consumption, to reduce emissions for households, and reduce bills for households and families is what we want to do,” he says.

More than 50,000 applications for retrofit support were received during the first four months of the year, according to O’Brien, representing a doubling of applications.

“I have been very straight and direct with people; that is not going to be the case.” Minister Darragh O’Brien TD on the 2030 offshore targets

He says that the response demonstrates public demand for measures which reduce both energy consumption and costs, while also contributing to emissions reductions.

The Government will invest more than €650 million in home retrofit supports during the year, while O’Brien says that further work is being undertaken with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to expand support for businesses.

Around 5,000 businesses were retrofitted during the previous year, he says, generating savings while reducing their exposure to future energy price shocks.

O’Brien links the need for greater energy security to the succession of economic and geopolitical disruptions experienced over the past decade, including Brexit, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the cost-of-living crisis, changes in US trade policy, and the US-Israel bombing of Iran.

“Any measures that we can take here to provide protections for people is really, really important,” he says.

Renewable expansion

Ireland’s renewable generation capacity has expanded substantially over the past decade, with O’Brien highlighting the addition of approximately 5GW of new renewable capacity.

The State now has around 8GW of renewable generation capacity, while renewables have in recent months met almost half of electricity demand.

Wind remains the dominant renewable technology, although the Minister emphasises the increasing contribution of solar and the need to continue expanding both onshore and offshore generation.

“We now, as a country, have 8GW of renewables in renewable capacity in our system,” he says. “We need to accelerate that.”

The Government’s renewable electricity support scheme has attracted significant interest, with the most recent auction delivering a generation mix of approximately 70 per cent solar and 30 per cent wind.

Offshore wind represents a particularly significant opportunity, but O’Brien acknowledges that Ireland’s original ambition to have major offshore projects electrified by 2030 will not be achieved.

“I have been very straight and direct with people; that is not going to be the case,” he says.

The immediate objective is now to secure planning consents and move projects into construction, with O’Brien expressing hope that two significant planning decisions could be secured during the year.

He also stresses the importance of creating a longer-term pipeline of offshore wind development, providing greater certainty for industry and developers.

Work is underway on the national maritime area plan, which will identify additional sites that can subsequently be brought forward through auctions.

O’Brien points to Ireland’s first offshore auction as evidence of continued investor interest, asserting that the process attracted four bidders and produced a competitive price despite challenging economic conditions.

“It shows that even with the challenges that we have had with regard to offshore wind, particularly in the current economic climate, Ireland is seen as a very desirable place to develop offshore wind,” he says.

Planning and grid capacity

Accelerating renewable deployment will require changes to the infrastructure and planning systems supporting it. O’Brien warns that delays would carry economic, environmental, and strategic costs.

He argues that slow delivery would leave Ireland exposed to international fossil fuel markets while potentially directing investment towards countries capable of delivering clean energy infrastructure more quickly.

The Minister points to the Planning and Development Act 2024 as an important component of the new planning environment, with applications for new projects to be assessed under the legislation.

Additional resources provided to An Coimisiún Pleanála and local authorities are also beginning to improve consenting times, according to O’Brien.

He says that the Government is seeking further acceleration through the passage of critical infrastructure legislation, which he describes as important in prioritising energy and other infrastructure projects.

Central to that infrastructure programme is the expansion and reinforcement of the electricity grid. O’Brien highlights the PR6 programme and says the delivery of 520 capital projects will be essential to increasing grid capacity and resilience.

Among these projects, he identifies the North-South Interconnector as particularly important.

“This one piece of infrastructure will do so much for affordability, so much for resilience, so much to enable us to accelerate the integration of renewables into our grid,” he says.

O’Brien says there would be no further reviews of the North-South Interconnector’s undergrounding arrangements, following previous reviews, and that the project would proceed on the basis of its existing consents.

Building European connections

Ireland’s energy transition will also require stronger connections beyond the island, particularly as renewable generation increases.

The Celtic Interconnector, linking Ireland with France, is expected to be operational in 2028. O’Brien describes it as a significant piece of infrastructure and Ireland’s first direct electricity interconnection with continental Europe.

He also confirms that he has signed a memorandum of understanding with Spain to assess the possibility of further interconnection.

The Minister asserts that such connections would strengthen Ireland’s energy resilience while creating opportunities to export electricity as domestic renewable generation expands.

“If we look at what has happened over the course of the last just few months, in particular, we can see how quickly international events hit us very, very hard here because of our overdependence on imported fossil [fuels],” he says.

On how the State’s ongoing presidency can be best utilised, Minister O’Brien identifies the European grids package as one of the significant files expected to progress during the presidency, alongside measures aimed at accelerating industrial and clean-energy development.

Concluding, O’Brien reaffirms the Government’s commitment to scaling up renewable deployment, strengthening the electricity grid, and reducing Ireland’s reliance on imported fossil fuels.

He says that the transition will deliver two major benefits: reducing emissions while strengthening the economic position of the State.

“There are two major wins within that: one from an environmental perspective, but two critically from an economic perspective.”