Ireland is now primed to become a key player in Europe’s renewable energy future, Minister of State Timmy Dooley has told an international conference.
Speaking at the WindEurope conference in Copenhagen, Mr Dooley addressed a ministerial plenary session about Ireland’s commitment to renewable energy.
Dooley, who is Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, with special responsibility for the Marine, was participating along with a selection of European ministers, officials from the European Commission, as well as senior figures from the world of business.
The three-day conference is Europe’s largest annual renewable wind energy event, with over 15,000 attendees.
The ministerial panel discussion was just one of several high-profile Ireland-related events at WindEurope 2025, with other events including a dedicated ‘Ireland Markets Session’ focusing on the latest developments for companies interested in the Irish market.
Philip Newsome, Principal Officer – Renewable Electricity Division with responsibility for the development of onshore renewable electricity at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, was a guest speaker at this session;
A networking and information session also took place at the Ireland pavilion by members of the Government of Ireland’s onshore and offshore wind taskforces.
At this event, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment launched a progress report on ‘Powering Prosperity’ – Ireland’s Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy, which was previously launched at WindEurope 2024 in Bilbao.
A panel discussion on co-existence at sea included the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications’ head of Marine Planning Policy – Rory O’Leary.
Minister Dooley has also welcomed the approval by Government this week of the revised National Planning Framework (NPF), which is still subject to approval by both houses of the Oireachtas.
“In the context of increasing the pace of renewables progressing through the planning system, the inclusion of regional renewable electricity targets across the State’s regional assembly area within the revised NPF [National Planning Framework] cannot be overstated,”Dooley said.
“The revised NPF will create a stronger support for renewables at a regional and local level, providing clarity and consistency across the planning system, ensuring that Ireland remains an attractive country in which to invest in renewable energy projects,” he said.
“The revised NPF also acknowledges the clear link between climate action and the potential for investment generation and employment and jobs, including in connection with the offshore wind industry and green technology,” he said.
On Ireland’s renewable wind energy ambitions, he said: “Ireland is already a wind energy success story. Irish wind farms provided 48% of Ireland’s power last February, and last January 2025, a significant milestone was reached – when the State reached over 5GW of installed wind capacity – over halfway to the State’s 2030 onshore climate action targets for renewable wind energy.
“Ireland has enormous offshore wind potential – not only to deliver cheaper, cleaner and more secure energy to our homes and businesses – it has the potential to deliver tens of thousands of new green jobs for many communities across the State," he said.
"From an offshore wind perspective, the Government has been accelerating policy in offshore wind energy at scale, and an all-of-Government approach is being applied, through the Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce,” he said.
“In recent years, Ireland has achieved a number of important milestones in offshore wind, including Ireland’s first offshore wind auction, which procured over 3 gigawatts (GW) of capacity from four offshore wind projects; the publication of the State’s first marine spatial plan for offshore wind development – the South Coast Designated Maritime Area Plan [DMAP]; and the approved terms and conditions of Ireland’s second offshore wind auction, which will take place later this year,” he concluded.
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