6th February 2026 |
Open Consultations
The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment is seeking the views of interested stakeholders to inform the development of a new Green Growth Strategy, which is linked to commitments in the Programme for Government 2025 – Securing Ireland’s Future.
The aim of the new strategy is to ensure that Ireland develops a strong domestic supply chain in the renewable energy sector and that government adopts a coherent and ambitious approach to future opportunities. The Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment invites you to take part in this public consultation process.
Background
In March 2024, Powering Prosperity – Ireland’s Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy marked a significant milestone as the first strategy of its kind for Ireland. Powering Prosperity set out 40 actions to be delivered across 2024 and 2025, to ensure we are well placed to capture the full economic potential of Ireland’s offshore wind sector and the government’s plan-led approach to offshore wind.
The delivery of Powering Prosperity is widely regarded as successful. However, from conversations with stakeholders (government departments, agencies and industry), we are keenly aware that offshore wind cannot sit on its own and needs to be viewed in the wider energy system. Therefore, a more holistic approach looking at the wider energy ecosystem – energy generation, the systems required to support the generation and distribution, and then the demand side including uses of the generated energy beyond large energy users – should be undertaken as part of a wider ‘green growth’ industrial strategy. As such, the Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity published in September, contained an action to “Publish a green industrial growth strategy focused on the development and industrial deployment of green technologies to support sectoral growth and unlock economic opportunities across all regions”.
This proposed new green growth industrial strategy will not replace Powering Prosperity. Rather, it will be a successor to it, building on the momentum and progress as well as the most effective elements of Powering Prosperity.
The need for renewable energy becomes increasingly urgent with each passing year. Ireland has recognised the potential of offshore wind not only to decarbonise our energy system, but to generate significant economic opportunities and ensure our energy security. This national commitment has been reinforced by the establishment of the Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce, commitments in the Programme for Government to fast-track offshore wind energy development and support Irish companies to integrate into the offshore wind supply chain, and more recently by the establishment of the Offshore Wind Energy Clearing House.
To truly harness the potential of our abundant renewable energy resources, we must expand our focus beyond offshore wind alone. To increase the potential gains from an industrial strategy, we must examine the potential of offshore renewable energy technologies beyond wind. Our closest neighbours are already diversifying into marine energy, including floating and fixed offshore wind, wave energy and tidal stream technologies, and there may be opportunities here for Ireland also.
EU context
The European landscape supports a broad, holistic approach to the energy transition. The European Union’s Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA) identifies 19 key technologies critical to the energy transition. Ireland stands to benefit from a strategic approach that embraces and supports mature technologies, like solar and onshore wind, and emerging ones, such as green hydrogen, wave, and tidal energy. This strategy should also consider opportunities for domestic deployment, focusing on strengthening Ireland’s position within renewable energy supply chains. By enhancing local capabilities and industrial demand, Ireland can maximise value creation at home while leveraging Ireland’s global presence in renewable energy supply chains.
It is envisaged that the proposed green growth industrial strategy will focus primarily on supporting companies developing certain green technologies, including innovation and in-company research and development, and the required supply chain for deployment rather than developing any policy for these technologies. The growth of the renewable energy sector should be the focus for this strategy.
Similar to Powering Prosperity, it is proposed that the new strategy focus on the economic opportunities presented by the green transition, specifically focussing on those green technologies which would benefit from a strategic level intervention as described above.
The next phase of Ireland’s green industrial strategy should also:
- Enable integration: Ireland’s strengths — a highly educated workforce, a thriving innovation ecosystem, and advanced digital capabilities — are transferable across green technologies. Building on insights gained and lessons learned in developing and implementing Powering Prosperity, a coordinated approach will ensure these sectors do not operate in silos, and instead benefit from shared knowledge, skills, and infrastructure.
- Strengthen international partnerships: To remain competitive and accelerate net-zero technologies, Ireland must continue to cultivate strategic international partnerships. Collaborating with global leaders in green innovation, research institutions, and multilateral organisations will enhance knowledge exchange, attract investment, and position Ireland as a hub for green industrial development.
Scope
It is worth noting that the range of green technologies is vast and it will be impossible to focus on everything. Therefore, it is proposed that the strategy focus on a set of key technologies related to the energy system, with offshore wind remaining at the core of this work, as well as broadly covering offshore renewable energy, onshore renewable energy, storage, grid technologies, green hydrogen and its derivatives, and carbon capture technologies.
Objectives
The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment is launching this public consultation to gather insights from industry, academia, communities and individuals on the following:
- Which technologies should Ireland prioritise as part of such a strategy?
- What challenges and opportunities exist across different technologies?
- How can government best support innovation, investment and workforce development within the renewable energy and green technology sphere?
- How can we build on the success of Powering Prosperity and develop a stronger industrial strategy with even greater impact?
Your feedback will help shape an important, future-focused strategy – one that not only powers Ireland’s green transition but also unlocks long-term economic resilience, global leadership in clean innovation and prosperity for generations to come.
Information on consultation process
Consultation responses
Views from stakeholders and interested parties on the public consultation are requested no later than Sunday, 1 March 2026 via the following link:
Green Growth Public Consultation – fill in form
Freedom of Information Act 2014 and publication of submissions
The department will make public on its website all submissions received under this consultation.
Your attention is also drawn to the fact that information provided to the department may be disclosed in response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2014. Therefore, should you consider that any information you provide is commercially sensitive, please identify same, and specify the reason for its sensitivity.
The department will consult with you regarding information identified by you as sensitive before publishing or otherwise disclosing it.
General Data Protection Regulation
Respondents should note that the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) entered into force in Ireland on 25 May 2018 and it is intended to give individuals more control over their personal data.
The key principles under the regulation are as follows:
- lawfulness, fairness and transparency
- purpose limitation
- data minimisation
- accuracy
- storage limitation
- integrity and confidentiality
- accountability
The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment is subject to the provisions of the regulation in relation to personal data collected by it from 25 May 2018. Any personal information which you volunteer to this department, will be treated with the highest standards of security and confidentiality, strictly in accordance with the Data Protection Acts 1988 to 2018.
Topics:
Offshore Wind Energy