EirWind offshore development zones and pathways interviews summary

Abstract

A series of semi-structured interviews was conducted as part of the EirWind project in order to explore the opportunities for and barriers to the development of offshore wind in Ireland. A total of 15 interviews were conducted, 9 with Industry and 6 with Policy influencers. Industry interviewees were senior representatives of companies within the EirWind consortium. Policy influencer interviewees were drawn from the EirWind Expert Advisory Group, these were senior civil servants from across the departments of Housing Planning and Local Government, the Department of Communications Climate action and Environment and a representative of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). The document presents a summary of these interviews without commentary or analysis. It is hoped that this approach will provide a clear and impartial snapshot of the nascent Irish offshore wind energy sector which can be used to facilitate informed discussions with key stakeholders.