A Cork-based data company providing site investigation services to the offshore wind sector has welcomed moves to expedite the planning process for developments in Ireland. However, Green Rebel says there would be further opportunities for Ireland if the government learned from the Netherlands and coordinated all site studies for offshore developments.
Green Rebel has also called for early involvement and input from fisheries and other marine stakeholders regarding offshore wind developments and the creation of designated wind farm zones.
The Cabinet is expected to approve the Planning and Development Bill when it meets today. The bill, which is set to be published in January, will place strict time limits for judicial reviews in a bid to avoid lengthy legal delays to construction projects. It will also allow for the creation of a Planning and Environmental Court to speed up decisions.
The Netherlands Enterprise Agency assesses designated wind farm zones as part of efforts to attract energy companies to build wind farms in their waters. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management then determines the conditions under which an operator can build and exploit a wind resource, including the ecological regulations and impact on other users.
Green Rebel was recently invited to the Netherlands by their national enterprise agency along with twenty other country representatives to learn about the Dutch approach.
Kieran Ivers, CEO of Green Rebel said, “The new Planning and Development Bill recognises the need to accelerate the planning process and is very much welcome as we all strive to move away from our dependence on fossil fuels. In order to speed up the process further, I would like to see the Dutch approach adopted in Ireland and for the assessment of wind farm zones to be carried out by government-appointed companies. This includes acquiring general information, details of unexploded ordinances and archaeology as well as the geophysical, geotechnical and meteorological and ocean surveys. All of this data will then be owned by the state. It’s vital too that fishers and other marine users are at the table especially if designated zones are created for wind development. We believe that the input of all stakeholders will lead to much better outcomes for everyone.”
Kieran Ivers added, “The Dutch approach to de-risking the application process for developers has the additional benefits of considering the national wind resource as a whole. This enables the Netherlands to determine how best to develop the accompanying infrastructure such as the electrical grid to bring the energy from turbines to shore, or the port development needed to service such developments. Ireland doesn’t need to re-invent the best approach to how we understand our national wind assets; of course the solution for a windy island on the coast of Europe is different, but the European policy context is similar as are the players in this sector. They would get confidence from a regime that they’re familiar with.”
Green Rebel is headquartered in Cork and has a team of over 80 scientists, chemists, engineers, ecologists, vessel crew and business practitioners across multiple locations in Cork and Limerick. It offers offshore wind developers an end-to-end set of data services that extend from acquisition, processing, interpretations and reporting, with their fleet of purpose-built vessels, aircraft, floating LiDAR buoys and in-house team of scientists and industry experts.