Wednesday, 22 October 2025
Public Consultation: National Territory Mapping for Renewable Electricity in Ireland The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment has launched a public consultation on National Territory Mapping for Renewable Electricity. This initiative is part of Ireland’s obligations under the EU Renewable Energy Directive 2023/2413 (RED III). The consultation is open to the public and stakeholders […]
The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment has launched a public consultation on National Territory Mapping for Renewable Electricity. This initiative is part of Ireland’s obligations under the EU Renewable Energy Directive 2023/2413 (RED III). The consultation is open to the public and stakeholders until 5:30 p.m. on Friday, 10 October 2025.
This national mapping exercise is a critical step in identifying areas across Ireland suitable for renewable energy development, particularly onshore wind, solar PV, and offshore renewable energy, to support Ireland’s contribution to the EU-wide target of at least 42.5% renewable energy by 2030, with an aspirational goal of 45%.
Under Article 15b of RED III, EU Member States are required to carry out a national mapping exercise to identify:
Domestic potential for renewable electricity generation, and
Available areas for the installation of renewable energy plants and related infrastructure.
This is designed to accelerate the permitting and deployment of renewable energy projects across Europe.
In addition, Article 15c requires Member States to designate at least one Renewable Acceleration Area (RAA). These are priority zones where renewable energy projects will benefit from streamlined permitting procedures due to lower environmental and land-use constraints.
Feedback from this consultation will help inform the designation of these areas in Ireland.
Three national-level maps have been published as part of the consultation:
Map 1: National Territory Mapping for Grid-Scale Onshore Wind
Map 2: National Territory Mapping for Grid-Scale Solar PV
Map 3: Available Areas of Offshore Renewable Energy
These maps were developed based on a range of technical, environmental, and planning data to assess the suitability of areas for renewable energy deployment.
They do not represent final zoning decisions, but are an initial step in identifying broad potential areas.
📄 You can access the full mapping report and maps at: gov.ie – National Territory Mapping
The Irish Government is seeking feedback on:
The territory mapping conducted under Article 15b, and
Key considerations for designating Renewable Acceleration Areas under Article 15c.
This feedback will help refine the maps and contribute to the development of draft plans for RAAs, ensuring that the designation process considers environmental, technical, social, and planning constraints.
Submissions can be made in two ways:
Submit via the EU Survey platform.
Deadline: Friday, 10 October 2025, at 5:30 p.m.
All submissions are subject to:
The Freedom of Information Act 2014 (FOI)
Access to Information on the Environment Regulations 2007–2018 (AIE)
The Data Protection Act 2018
Submissions may be published, but personal data will be redacted. If your response contains sensitive or confidential information (e.g. personal, commercial), please indicate this clearly.
🔐 For full details, please review the Department’s Data Privacy Notice.
The National Territory Mapping consultation is a crucial step in accelerating Ireland’s transition to renewable electricity, meeting its EU obligations, and enabling the development of well-planned, efficient renewable energy infrastructure.
Public and stakeholder input will shape the future of renewable electricity development in Ireland, ensuring that policies reflect both environmental priorities and community considerations.
Your views matter, make sure to contribute before 10 October 2025.