Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said Friday’s publication of the designated maritime area plan (DMAP) for the south Irish coast represents “a landmark development in forward spatial planning”.

“The South Coast DMAP will also initiate the State’s second offshore auction, which will take place off Ireland’s south coast,”Martin said.

“The draft terms and conditions detailing the design of this next auction will also be published on Friday, May 3rd,” he said.Delivering the keynote address at the Offshore Wind 2024 conference on Thursday (May 2), Martin promised that the new Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) would be adequately resourced.

A new marine unit within An Bord Pleanála has also been established to handle planning applications for offshore wind.

The draft south coast DMAP due for publication on May 3rd is the State’s first draft spatial plan for renewable energy generation, Martin said.

“It's clear that our vast maritime territory offers an untapped resource which can be the cornerstone of our energy transition,” Martin said.

“We are ambitious. We plan to deploy more gigawatts of offshore energy by 2030 than France, Spain, Portugal or Belgium,” he said.

“Only Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark plan to deploy more than Ireland, all of which have larger electricity markets and have established offshore wind sectors from which to grow,” he said.

“It’s imperative that we plan in advance and are ready for the demands which this infrastructure and technology will bring. We must ensure that areas such as marine planning, and the regulation of our marine space are properly resourced,”Martin said.

“We have listened to industry concerns in this area and have now filled and continue to fill a significant number of positions in An Bord Pleanála,”he said.

“A new marine unit within An Bord Pleanála has also been established and a director of planning, marine and climate has been appointed. The appointment of a full-term chairperson has also been completed this year,”he said.

“We have also approved additional resources for the National Parks and Wildlife Service to support this work, and recruitment to these positions is underway,” he said.

“As a Government we are committed to ensuring that ….MARA, is properly resourced, so it can deliver its key role within our marine planning system,” Martin continued.

“Since this agency was established last July, MARA has been actively recruiting and building capacity across its range of disciplines,”he said, and had over 40 staff spread across six directorates, with plans to add to this headcount in the months ahead.

“MARA will be able to coordinate across bodies such as the local authorities, the Naval Service, Sea Fisheries Protection Authority, the EPA, the Commissioners for Irish Lights, and others. This will fill a much-needed coordination gap and ensure there is joined-up approach to a multi-use regulatory space,” he said.

“This entire Government has been committed to working with industry to deliver on our offshore targets,”he said, and the work of the “all-of-Government Taskforce on Offshore Wind has been key is establishing momentum in this sector”.

"The Government plans to announce further DMAPs later this year, following the transfer of functions of marine planning from the Department of Housing to the Department of the Environment," he said.

"Our ports will also play a vital role in delivering the Government’s offshore targets," he said, referring to Port of Cork's securing of planning approval to develop offshore wind.