Environmental Pillar Feedback Letter to DCEE on the NDMAP Preliminary Offshore Wind Opportunity Areas
October 2026
The Environmental Pillar and the MAREIRE project welcome the opportunity to provide feedback to the Department of Climate, Energy, and the Environment (DCEE) on the preliminary maps shared with stakeholders of potential offshore wind opportunity areas identified by the National Designated Maritime Area Plan (NDMAP) process. The Environmental Pillar is a network of thirty eight national NGOs working to promote sustainable development and environmental protection. MARÉIRE, the “Marine Renewable Energy and the Irish Environment” Project, aims to advance and lead research, policy and advocacy in relation to marine biodiversity and offshore renewable energy (ORE), and to ensure that environmental protection remains at the forefront of decision-making, policy and planning whilst meeting our targets for renewable energy.
In September 2026, preliminary maps of Emerging Renewable Energy Areas identified by the NDMAP process were shared with stakeholders for feedback. Stakeholders, including ourselves, were invited to several workshops and information sessions on the 22nd and 23rd of September to give feedback in-person to the NDMAP team. Several of the points below were raised during these in-person sessions; however, we felt the need to include them again here as we are still concerned and feel that these issues should be taken into account during the refinement of the Emerging Renewable Energy Areas that the NDMAP team is currently undertaking. We understand and acknowledge that the map shown in Figure 1 is not the final NDMAP that goes forward to public consultation in early 2027, but we wish to offer feedback at this time to hopefully ensure a more ecologically-focused map is produced.
