Ireland is one of the best suited countries in the world for offshore wind farms, EU energy commissioner Kadri Simson has said, warning the war in Ukraine has forced Brussels to move “further and faster” to end Russian fuel imports.
Speaking before an Oireachtas committee, Ms Simson said exploiting the island’s location on the Atlantic could deliver “huge opportunities” for renewable energy jobs along the west coast and around the rest of the country.
The major “bottleneck” to wind farms was a lengthy permit application process, and the European Union would move to help ease those restrictions, the commissioner said.
“There are few places in the world better suited for offshore renewables than Ireland, for sure,” she told TDs and Senators on the Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action.
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“Here on the edge of the windy Atlantic gives you a great potential to produce more renewable electricity. From our side, I believe that our guidance on permitting is giving you the opportunity to boost the domestic industry massively.”
Ms Simson said this has the “potential for job creation in communities all along the Wild Atlantic Way, as well as around the country”.
Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has “changed things when it comes to energy,” she said.
“We are forced to confront the fact that we are too dependent on imports from Russia and it is being [used as] a tool for blackmail. It is something we cannot tolerate.”
Pointing to six sets of EU sanctions on Russian fossil fuel imports since the invasion began in February, Ms Simson insisted member states need to think longer term “about our relationship” with Moscow.
Dependence on Russian oil, gas and coal can no longer be justified and it has been “agreed to act to remove all of them from the system as soon as possible” as part of a hastened plan to make the EU carbon neutral.
The EU is also working to mitigate any fuel reliance on China.
“We will move further and faster in every aspect, including ramping up renewables,” said Ms Simson.
“It will not be easy, and will require commitment and effort across the whole of society.”
Under proposals yet to be agreed, the EU will aim to take 45 per cent of its energy consumption from renewables by 2030. That will be an increase from the present 32 per cent target and more than double the 22 per cent share in 2020.
Acknowledging what she called “challenges” to the ambitious target, Ms Simson said the “biggest bottleneck” is the length of time it takes to grant licences for offshore projects.
“We have to shorten this,” she said, adding it was “time we don’t have now”.