A LIMERICK TD is trying to stir up winds of change in his advocacy for the massive potential of clean wind energy in the Mid West.
Sinn Féin Deputy Maurice Quinlivan said that tapping into the wind and wave energy potential on the west coast of Ireland “can be our generation’s Ardnacrusha moment”, ushering in not only Europe-leading green energy infrastructure, but new jobs and a new lease of life for the region.
“Offshore wind and wave energy have the potential, if harnessed, to make this State a net exporter of energy, the potential to create thousands of jobs. It is an opportunity that must be seized upon,” he said in a Dáil meeting on the renewable energy sector.
“We have the natural resources surrounding our island, I am confident we will have the cooperation of political parties, third level institutions, and private companies, but we need to ensure that these pillars are supported by central government and that it takes preemptive steps to develop the potential of this economic sector.”
Pushing the point home locally, Deputy Quinlivan said that “the port in Foynes has the proximity to offshore wind resources, it has the deep-water port, and it has the necessary development land nearby. It is well suited, with the necessary support, to lead the way in the development of this untapped economic sector.”
He also commended “the Shannon Foynes Port Company for the work they have done to date and for their Vision 2041 Strategic Strategy, which laid out in detail many of the challenges and the potential available from the offshore wind sector.”
According to the Sinn Féin TD, “the development of the offshore wind and wave energy sector in Foynes has the potential to create 30 gigawatts of floating offshore wind potential with direct and indirect investment of up to €90billion by 2050”.
“We act now or we fall behind our competitors in Scotland and Germany. Renewable energy has the potential to be a vital new source of revenue and energy,” he said.
“The development of offshore wind energy is our chance to become energy independent. We can harness this energy and export the excess energy that Ireland won’t need, or we can import it from abroad. That is the choice.”
Deputy Quinlivan also referenced the Department of Enterprise’s March 2023 report on renewable energy, which he said “made nine recommendations of how we can deliver and maximise the potential of renewable energy”.
“These included a recommendation regarding education, training, and recruitment initiatives to increase the supply of essential skills and another recommendation relating to the establishment of the government Department for Renewable Energy so that we can better address the challenges of climate change and the development of this sector.
“These recommendations must be considered and, I believe, acted on by the Minister to ensure that this state is best placed to harness the economic potential of the renewable energy sector.”
