eolas magazine: Informing Ireland's decision makers

22nd February 2023

Minister Eamon Ryan TD: Offshore wind delivery gaining momentum

As we all work together to create a sustainable future for Ireland, it is vital that we use our vast offshore wind resource to create renewable […]
22nd February 2023

Action now, not ambition

Maria Ryan, Director of Offshore Development at SSE Renewables, sets out the three steps we need to take to achieve Ireland’s energy independence. It is a […]
22nd February 2023

Developing Ireland’s offshore wind resources

Anne-Marie Clancy, Principal Officer in the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications’ (DECC) Offshore Energy – Long-Term Strategic Planning division, outlines a phased approach to […]
22nd February 2023

Offshore wind generation crucial to green hydrogen production

Climate Action Plan 2023 has earmarked 2GW of a targeted 7GW of offshore wind energy capacity to produce green hydrogen, as a step in the journey […]
22nd February 2023

Unlocking Ireland’s offshore wind opportunity

Unlocking the potentially abundant opportunity of offshore wind has never been more important or urgent for the island of Ireland, writes Accenture’s Utilities Lead in the […]
22nd February 2023

Offshore wind milestone: First seven MACs issued

In December 2022, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan TD issued Maritime Area Consents (MACs) for seven offshore wind projects, initiating Phase One […]
22nd February 2023

Keeping Ireland’s lights on when the wind does not blow

For three months of 2022, wind energy was the largest energy source of electricity generation in Ireland. In the other nine months of the year, it […]
22nd February 2023

Marine area protection legislation published

Under the general scheme of the Marine Protected Areas Bill, 30 per cent of Ireland’s maritime area will be protected which will impact upon the development […]
22nd February 2023

Scope for offshore wind expansion in the North

The North’s Department for the Economy (DfE) and The Crown Estate have announced a statement of intent to establish offshore wind leasing off the north coast. […]
22nd February 2023

M&A activity in offshore wind expected in the years to come

Ireland is positioned as one of the most interesting jurisdictions to watch, from an offshore wind mergers and acquisitions (M&A) perspective, for the years ahead. Ireland […]
22nd February 2023

This must be the year of delivery

Ireland’s offshore wind energy revolution is starting to feel a lot more real. Nearly two decades after we built what was then one of the biggest […]
22nd February 2023

Mapping Ireland’s territorial waters

Ireland’s vast potential for offshore wind development, with the subsequent development of renewable gas, is dependent upon the scoping and mapping out of Ireland’s territorial waters, […]
22nd February 2023

In profile: The Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce

To ensure that Ireland’s target of 7GW of installed offshore wind capacity is met by 2030, the Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce has been tasked with establishing […]
22nd February 2023

ESB stands ready to deliver renewable offshore wind energy for Ireland

Offshore wind generated energy will play a major role globally in mankind’s fight against climate change and our transition to a zero-carbon economy. The Irish Government, […]
5th January 2023

Hitachi Energy: The future is electric

Hitachi Energy is championing the urgency of this clean energy transition and serving customers in Ireland with innovative solutions and services across the electrification value chain. […]
5th January 2023

Energy security dependent on diverse indigenous energy supply and storage

A Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) report on the security of Ireland’s energy supply has determined that, in the event of low wind speed, the […]
5th January 2023

Offshore wind: The next frontier in energy security

Bord na Móna’s Head of Renewable Energy, John Reilly, and Ocean Winds’ Country manager for Ireland, Dan Finch, sit down with eolas Magazine to discuss their […]
5th January 2023

Energy security: Prioritising security of supply

Policy is about trying to balance “trade-offs in the best possible manner” with regard to the energy trilemma of security of supply, sustainability, and affordability, Economic […]
5th January 2023

CRU aims to incentivise demand reduction in challenging times

In August 2022, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities set out a proposed suite of new network tariffs. The proposals included a number of ambitious new […]
5th January 2023

Short-term outlook for the European gas market

Europe needs to anticipate another difficult winter in 2023/24 and measures need to be taken now, writes The Oxford Institute of Energy Studies’ Anouk Honoré. Above […]
5th January 2023

Transforming the gas network with renewable gases

Cathal Marley, Chief Executive Officer of Gas Networks Ireland, talks to eolas about the company’s new strategy and how it is decarbonising the gas network to […]
5th January 2023

ORESS 1 terms and conditions and timetable published

The Government took a landmark step towards achieving its aim of achieving 7GW of offshore wind by 2030 in November 2022 when it published its finalised […]
5th January 2023

Local offshore gas: An obvious but overlooked energy security option for Ireland

Two strategic proposals build upon, and utilise, critical national infrastructure in order to play a major role in lowering emissions and decarbonising our society while ensuring […]
5th January 2023

Hydrogen ‘essential’ to climate-neutral European economy

Hydrogen is “an essential component of the new, climate-neutral economy” writes European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans in a special report for COP27, during which hydrogen was […]
3rd January 2023

The potential impact of the disruption in Russian gas supplies to Europe

Premature moves to reduce European dependence on Russian gas could lead to storage levels reaching lows that would render gas rationing and blackouts “unavoidable” in central […]
3rd January 2023

Irish energy poverty reaches highest recorded rate

Irish energy poverty has reached its highest recorded rate amid energy price inflation, with the estimated share of households experiencing energy poverty now standing at 29 […]
3rd January 2023

Imagining a better way: Bord Gáis Energy’s Teresa Purtill

Amid Bord Gáis Energy’s ongoing journey to transform its energy supply, services and solutions and support its colleagues and customers, Teresa Purtill, Director of the newly […]
3rd January 2023

REPowerEU: Speeding up the transition

A planned €210 billion investment by the European Commission aiming to wean the EU off Russian fossil fuels by 2027 has mandated a faster transition to […]
3rd January 2023

Collaborating to deliver net zero

ESB Chief Executive, Paddy Hayes, talks to Owen McQuade about the company’s Net Zero by 2040 strategy and how electricity offers other sectors a pathway to […]
3rd January 2023

KPMG hosted a roundtable discussion on renewable electricity development, which is central to the Government’s climate action ambitions. How has government policy assisted your renewables journey […]
3rd January 2023

Russian gas: IEA 10-point plan for Europe

In the 10-Point Plan to Reduce the European Union’s Reliance on Russian Natural Gas, the International Energy Agency (IEA) outlines a strategy aimed at reducing the […]
3rd January 2023

Hydrogen: Decarbonising Ireland’s economy

SSE hosted a round table discussion with key stakeholders discussing the role of green and low-carbon hydrogen in Ireland’s decarbonisation ambitions. What are the benefits of […]
9th March 2022

Denmark’s energy islands: A paradigm shift

Denmark’s offshore wind legacy is well established. Now, undertaking the largest construction project in its history, with a projected cost of €28 billion, the Scandinavian country […]
9th March 2022

Shaping the transformation of Ireland’s electricity grid

In November, EirGrid Chief Executive, Mark Foley and Eamon Ryan TD, Minister for Environment, Climate, Communications and Transport, unveiled the Shaping Our Electricity Future roadmap, a […]
9th March 2022

Ireland’s offshore wind capabilities are evolving rapidly

Ireland’s capabilities around the rapidly developing offshore wind (OW) energy are evolving fast and in a wide range of sectors. This development is often preceded by […]
9th March 2022

Maritime Area Planning Act signed into law 23 December 2021

The Maritime Area Planning (MAP) Act provides for new consenting processes for foreshore licences, foreshore leases and planning permissions for various marine projects, including offshore renewable […]
9th March 2022

Unlocking Ireland’s offshore wind pipeline will be key to meeting Ireland’s renewables targets

Ireland is the leader in Europe when it comes to onshore wind with the highest percentage of onshore wind generation as a percentage of our total […]
9th March 2022

Offshore: Routes to market and further reduction of risk and costs

Nguyen Dinh, head of hydrogen and principal in Ireland and Vietnam at OWC, and Claire Atkins, OWC Ireland country manager and a specialist in offshore wind […]
9th March 2022

TEN-E Regulation: No longer oceans apart

Ireland and Europe must decarbonise energy completely by 2050. Offshore renewable electricity is going to form the backbone of these efforts to decarbonise. In 2020, the […]
9th March 2022

Time running out for offshore wind targets

By the end of 2022, we will know whether the Government’s target of 5,000MW of offshore wind energy by the end of 2030 is achievable, writes […]
9th March 2022

Ireland moves closer to first offshore auction

With the passage of the Maritime Area Planning Bill 2021, Ireland is moving closer to the holding of its first offshore wind auction under the Renewable […]
9th March 2022

Powering change in Irish offshore ambitions: Lessons learned from ScotWind

Maria Ryan, Director of Development at SSE Renewables, says Ireland must follow the ScotWind model and embrace real ambition in developing the next phase of offshore […]
9th March 2022

Maritime area planning

Intended to be the centrepiece of a new streamlined consenting regime which will enable the swift deployment of offshore wind energy infrastructure, ultimately delivering 5GW by […]
9th March 2022

Climate Minister Eamon Ryan TD: Significant milestones on offshore journey

Climate change poses one of the greatest challenges facing the world and our shared future. The need to combat the devastating effects it has on our […]
23rd February 2021

Minister Eamon Ryan TD: Unlocking Ireland’s offshore wind potential

Our Shared Future, or the Programme for Government (PfG), establishes the coalition’s ambition for 5GW of offshore wind energy by 2030 with the potential for “at […]
23rd February 2021

For Ireland’s 7 per cent target, we’re ready

Barry Kilcline, Director of Offshore Wind Development in Ireland at SSE Renewables, says his company is ready to deliver 2GW of offshore wind projects over the […]
23rd February 2021

Offshore projects pipeline

In line with the Programme for Government’s scaling up of offshore wind capacity targets, 2020 saw the Irish Government fast track seven offshore renewable projects. The […]
23rd February 2021

First offshore wind RESS auction in 2021

The Programme for Government commits to the deliverance of “at least” 70 per cent renewable electricity by 2030. Key to this will be the first Renewable […]
23rd February 2021

12 months to deliver offshore wind

Decisions the Government will make over the next 12 months will decide whether we can build enough offshore wind energy to reach our 2030 climate action […]
23rd February 2021

Getting to net zero: 2030 and beyond

How will the year 2021 be remembered? Hopefully, as the year that marked a revolution in Ireland’s offshore regulatory regime, which catapulted Ireland towards meeting its […]
23rd February 2021

Offshore wind: An international perspective

In setting out a target of 5GW of offshore development by 2030, Ireland has outlined an ambition to be a world leader in renewable energy and […]
23rd February 2021

Underpinning offshore: Marine Planning and Development Management Bill

The Government will establish an Office of Marine Development Enforcement as part of its forthcoming Bill, set to underpin sustainable offshore renewable energy resources. The legal […]
23rd February 2021

The need for public buy-in

Project Ireland 2040 finally arrived to great fanfare in Sligo on the 20 February 2018. It is a very ambitious plan totalling €116 billion which re-imagines […]
23rd February 2021

Offshore wind: An emerging feature of Irish M&A activity that is here to stay stay

Energy demand growth, strong policy support and an increasing amount of capital seeking investments in renewables, coupled with corporates and utilities transitioning from brown to green […]
23rd February 2021

Offshore education and skills

The delivery of 5GW of offshore wind before 2030, as stated in the Programme for Government, will create a significant number of native industry jobs, which […]
5th November 2020

Doubling carbon reduction ambitions

Minister for Environment, Climate Action and Communications, Eamon Ryan TD, outlines progress on the Government’s plans to double its carbon emission reduction targets to 7 per […]
5th November 2020

A climate neutral economy

The publication of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020 represents efforts to enshrine Ireland’s enhanced climate ambitions into law. In October, within […]
5th November 2020

EirGrid: Powering Ireland’s renewable targets

Michael Mahon, EirGrid Chief Infrastructure Officer offers an update on two key EirGrid infrastructure projects that will reinforce the network and underpin growth across the Kildare/Meath […]
5th November 2020

Energy priorities of the European Commission

Kadri Simson, EU Commissioner for Energy outlines the role of member states and the energy system in achieving the EU’s raised ambitions on climate change. The […]
5th November 2020

A greenprint for economic recovery

SSE believes that a green economic recovery from coronavirus can deliver a ‘win-win’ for both economy and climate by unlocking private investment in low-carbon infrastructure, creating […]
5th November 2020

Decarbonising Ireland: The energy challenge

John FitzGerald, Chair of the Climate Change Advisory Council, argues that the increased ambition to tackle climate change must be matched by implementation of new measures […]
5th November 2020

Heat in the commercial and public sectors

Kevin Brady, Principal Officer leading the Business Energy and Gas Policy division at the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, addressed Energy Ireland 2020 on changes […]
5th November 2020

ESB: Powering through the pandemic

As society adapts to the realities of the Covid-19 pandemic, the shift towards a low-carbon energy system has assumed even greater resonance. eolas Magazine speaks with […]
5th November 2020

Regulating for energy transformation

Chair of the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), Aoife MacEvilly, discusses the regulator’s role in the energy transformation, putting the consumer at the centre. Reflecting […]