Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP) Proposal for Offshore Renewable Energy.

The Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP) proposal for Offshore Renewable Energy signals Ireland’s first step into a systematic, plan-led development of our huge off-shore wind potential. DMAPs will determine the broad area where offshore renewable energy projects can be developed, and will act as a management plan for specific area of our marine waters, which can be used to develop multi-activity area plans to promote the use of specific activities, including offshore renewables.

The first Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP) Proposal will be located off the South Coast of Ireland and puts forward an initial ‘proposed’ geographical area within which future offshore renewable energy development may take place. The area will be refined through a process of public engagement and consultation, expert environmental impact assessments and other expert analysis of the maritime areas, to assess its suitability for offshore renewable energy development. Following a period of public engagement, a ‘Draft DMAP’ (which is anticipated to encompass a significantly smaller footprint than initially outlined in the proposal) will be published. Following this, a further statutory public consultation will take place, before the Draft DMAP is presented to the Minister for Housing and both houses of the Oireachtas for approval.

For further details including the South Coast Renewable Energy DMAP Proposal July 2023 and the DMAP Public Participation Statement July 2023 please click the link here.