Offshore wind org says Ireland may miss EU renewables targets

The National Offshore Wind Association of Ireland (NOW Ireland) has warned the Irish government that under existing policy the country will fail to meet the binding EU targets, including for 40% renewable power by 2020.

This, in turn, will prevent export of renewable energy to Europe in addition to bringing substantial fines for Ireland, the association said on Wednesday. NOW Ireland urged the government to drop its policy of disallowing the use of the country’s existing offshore wind resource to meet 2020 and 2030 targets. The association noted that Ireland has almost 3 GW of offshore wind resources immediately ready for realisation.

NOW Ireland’s secretary general Brian Britton criticised the government’s decision to rely solely on onshore wind. “If the Government’s narrow focus fails to deliver, Ireland will face significant fines and the offshore wind industry, which could deliver the entire renewable energy shortfall for Ireland, will be locked out of the export market as well as the home market,” he commented.

Ireland will need more renewable energy than previously estimated in order to meet its targets because of the strength of the country’s recovery, which has resulted in a faster rise in energy consumption than predicted.

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