The wind energy sector gathers in Dublin for its annual conference with electricity prices the prime focus. It’s a playing card for Wind Energy Ireland (WEI) that justifies the scale-up of onshore and offshore wind while dovetailing with the European Commission’s strategic approach to be announced in the coming weeks.
Armed with Baringa’s analysis of what renewables have achieved since 2000 and what they can do by 2030, WEI is ringing the right bells. This also resonates with Irish consumers and businesses wrestling with the highest prices in Europe.
Political shifts in 2024 mean there will be less emphasis on radical climate action and nature restoration (in deference to disgruntled farmers), but the European Green Deal is still alive even if comes in a different guise. Its main plank will be lower energy prices stitched into the competitiveness agenda. This will entail a de facto energy union supporting new infrastructure to move power/resources across borders more efficiently.
Is Ireland’s planning system broken?
A recent Bruegel policy brief suggests short-term efforts should focus on fair cost allocation among consumers, while medium-term strategies should enhance demand flexibility to improve efficiency. Long-term solutions require co-ordinated EU-level investments, stronger cross-border energy interconnections and, ultimately, fundamental energy market reform.
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WEI conference chat will be dominated by speculation on who might be the new minister for energy and a wishlist of moves to “unlock Ireland’s incredible wind opportunity — ranging from improvements to the planning system to political support to deliver grid infrastructure to setting out a long-term plan for offshore wind around Ireland’s coastlines”.
The “must” with all of that is a much more effective State-supported project delivery mechanism.
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