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13 Sep 20231 minute read

UK and Ireland sign 'landmark' green agreement

ECAtoday
UK and Ireland sign 'landmark' green agreement

The British and Irish governments have signed two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) aimed at bolstering energy security and expediting decarbonization efforts in the region. The agreements, signed by UK Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Claire Coutinho and Irish Minister for the Environment, Climate, and Communications Eamon Ryan, cover the security of fossil gas supplies and cooperation in energy transition, offshore renewables, and electricity interconnection.

Both nations, committed to enhancing energy resilience and achieving net-zero goals, view this as a historic moment for closer collaboration. The UK, a global leader in energy security and net-zero efforts, aims to deepen its energy partnership with Ireland to deliver cleaner, more secure, and affordable energy while boosting their economies.

The MoUs emphasize accelerating offshore renewable generation, including floating offshore wind projects in the Celtic and Irish Seas, enhancing interconnection capacity, and developing offshore hybrid assets. This is particularly important given the current UK-Ireland interconnection capacity is just 500MW. Ireland's interconnector capacity is set to grow to 1,700MW by 2027, with plans for further connections to the UK, France, Spain, and Belgium or the Netherlands.

These agreements also support plans for new offshore wind farms, including floating wind farms, in the region. However, they come after the UK government's recent clean power auctions faced criticism for failing to secure offshore wind bids, citing low reserve prices and inadequate consideration of industry inflation.

ECA works closely with its Members, industry partners and Government to help Britain transition to Net Zero Carbon. We produce regular guidance notes, technical bulletins, and industry updates to keep Members at the forefront of the Net Zero transition. Learn more here.

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