71. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his plans for the expansion of the production of renewable energy in the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41433/24]

Under Climate Action Plan Update 24, Ireland has set a target of 80% of electricity demand from renewable sources by 2030 made up of 9 GW of onshore wind, 8 GW of solar and at least 5 GW of offshore wind. This will require unprecedented levels of investment in renewable electricity generation development and in the infrastructure required to expand and strengthen our electricity grid.

The Accelerating Renewable Electricity Taskforce (ARET) has been established to identify and prioritise the required policies to achieve our onshore renewable electricity targets. The ARET published its Implementation Plan in June, which sets out the roadmap for the actions to be taken in the near-term to help meet our 2030 targets.

The Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce (OWDT) continues to oversee actions required to develop offshore wind generation in Ireland. The OWDT published its Annual Review 2023 and Key Actions for 2024 report in April, which sets out the key measures to be undertaken in the offshore wind sector. While the Future Framework for Offshore Renewable Energy sets out the key actions to develop Ireland’s long-term, plan-led approach to offshore wind.

The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) is one of the main Government policies to deliver this renewable generation capacity. Five auctions, both onshore and offshore, have been undertaken to date.

Regional renewable electricity targets have been included in the draft First Revision of the National Planning Framework. This is a critical step towards achieving Ireland’s national renewable electricity targets.