The movie scripts are being penned and the film rights being discussed. The international TV crews are leaving and Irelands greatest export, Donie, from the neighbouring peninsula at Cahirsiveen is swapping Beara for NYC [1]. But the recent exploits of the fishermen of West Cork and their tackling of the Russian Navy exercises in the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) has made worldwide news. But this isn’t the first time the Russians have seen the strategic value of Ireland, when perhaps our own authorities have missed it. During the Cold War Russia saw the strategic value of Ireland, with its deep water ports and proximity to the Atlantic and therefore had detailed maps created of the island – and the rest of the world while they were at it [2]. 

Figure 1 Map of Dublin created by USSR [3]

So, the timing of the naval exercises in an area of Ireland at a time the Maritime Area Planning (MAP) bill had recently passed through the houses of the Oireachtas could not have been better. While Russia may have been ahead in seeing the strategic value of Ireland, the passing of the MAP bill paves the way for Ireland to properly manage its greatest resource, its offshore jurisdiction. 

Irelands Offshore Area

It is well documented that Irelands offshore jurisdiction is far greater than its landmass. Ireland’s EEZ extends to 200 miles offshore and covers an area of 220 million acres, which is 10 times the size of our island [4]. But the rules governing this area were managed by a piece of legislation dating back to the 1933 Foreshore Act, which in turn was limited to 12 nautical miles off the coast. The value of our offshore resource has now become apparent, with the offshore renewable energy potential a major driver of this realisation. The WEI have an excellent report on this potential (up to 30 GW of offshore wind) and David McWilliams has highlighted that Ireland could be the Saudi Arabia of the green energy revolution [5] [6]. The MAP sets means to achieve this potential!

MAP and its implications

The MAP bill sets the way for Ireland to utilise this resource. The key attributes of the Bill are:

1. Establishment of the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) which is expected to be in place by Q1 23.
2. MARA will manage licenses applications previously covered under the 1933 Foreshore Act and will also be responsible for issuing Maritime Area Consents (MACs). MARA will have enforcement authority for these licenses and consents
3. MACs will be a permission from the State for specific activities in specific areas. For offshore renewable generation the receipt of the MAC should allow the site to progress to development permission via An Bord Pleanála. Once an application of MAC has been submitted to MARA a decision should be reached within 90 days.
4. The Bill provides for a new regime for planning in the maritime area. It is underpinned by the Nation Marine Planning Framework which will account for Maritime Spatial Plans (MSPs) and Designated Maritime Area Plans (DMP). 

A great resource giving a synopsis on the bill can be found on the Beauchamps website via a webinar [7].

The recent escalation of gas prices and Irelands proximity to the edge of Europe highlights our vulnerabilities. Russia is blamed in many quarters for the escalation but the fact remains that Ireland is exposed to the global markets for energy, being one of the largest importers of fossil fuels. We are at the end of the European pipeline, depending on others for gas and LNG imports [8].  

But, having started the process of unlocking our greatest natural resource via MAP. Having seen the strategic value of energy independence and having seen the technologies advance to unlock this opportunity Ireland has to seize the opportunity now. Our goal is to reach 5 GW of offshore wind by 2030, many challenges remain but if we can do it perhaps Donie will be back to report on the new Ireland. 

References

[1]	CNN, [Online]. Available: https://twitter.com/donie/status/1487510828081463300?s=20&t=EzsUBRQKDnA5wCIswhNLdQ.
[2]	Bloomberg, “Soviet Military Secretly Mapped the Entire World,” [Online]. Available: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-17/the-soviet-military-secretly-mapped-the-entire-world. [Accessed 06 February 2022].
[3]	[Online]. Available: https://redatlasbook.com/.
[4]	“Irish Examiner,” 20 August 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/spotlight/arid-40032200.html. [Accessed 06 February 2022].
[5]	WEI, “Building Offshore Wind Report,” [Online]. Available: https://windenergyireland.com/images/files/20201203-final-iwea-building-offshore-wind-report.pdf.
[6]	D. McWilliams. [Online]. Available: https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/david-mcwilliams-donegal-to-dingle-could-become-the-world-s-most-innovative-energy-hub.
[7]	Beauchamps, 14 January 2022. [Online]. Available: https://player.vimeo.com/video/665974133. [Accessed 12 February 2022].
[8]	RTE, “What happens in Ireland if Russia turns off the gas supply?,” 4 February 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2022/0204/1277746-russia-gas-supply-costs-disruption-europe-ireland/.