Irish ambition and delivery on renewables at WindEurope

The WindEurope conference in Madrid offered an insight into the Government’s ambition and delivery on wind energy, as it prepares to take over the EU Presidency in the wake of a global energy crisis. The Irish delegation at Europe’s largest annual renewable wind energy event is being led by Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O’Brien, and Minister of State with special responsibility for Marine Planning and Inland Fisheries Timmy Dooley.

Key takeaways from WindEurope

Speaking at the Inaugural Session of the three-day expo, opened by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Minister Dooley told leading business figures in the renewable wind energy sector that global geo-political events mean that Ireland’s upcoming EU Presidency will emphasise the need for accelerated deployment of renewable energy.

The WindEurope Annual Event 2026 has attracted over 16,000 attendees, and features over 400 speakers, and over 600 exhibitors from across the supply chain. Minister O’Brien will arrive to the conference on Wednesday ahead of his participation in the conference’s most anticipated event – the Offshore Wind Ministerial Session on Thursday morning. On Thursday afternoon, Minister O’Brien will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Spanish Minister for the Ecological Transition, Sara Aagesen on the Development of an Electricity Interconnector between Ireland and Spain.

Inaugural Session

Alongside Minister Dooley, the Inaugural Session panel discussion featured a selection of European ministers, including UK Energy Minister Michael Shanks, officials from the European Parliament, and senior business figures. The discussion centred on how to help economies shift to clean electricity as the primary source of energy, looking at fast-tracking regulatory change and accelerating supply chain growth in the face of the global energy crisis sparked by the closing of the strait of Hormuz.

Speaking ahead of his attendance at the event, Minister O’Brien said:

“Energy markets and prices are directly impacted by events far beyond our borders. Reducing our exposure to volatile fossil fuel markets will strengthen Europe’s strategic autonomy. It is essential that we accelerate deployment of grid networks and interconnection at scale – to underpin the EU’s competitiveness, to drive down consumer costs, and to ensure our collective energy security.”

Speaking at the event today Minister Dooley said:

“The ongoing conflict in the Middle East underlines once again why Ireland and Europe must speed up the employment of renewables and investment in our grid networks. The Grids Package is the most important file in Energy Council during Ireland’s upcoming presidency.”

Treat electrification as a ‘strategic priority’

On the first day of the event, WindEurope presented the Madrid Call to Action – calling on EU leaders to treat electrification as a strategic priority, not just a policy footnote.

Among other high-profile events for Ireland on day one was a networking and information session hosted at the Ireland pavilion by members of the Government of Ireland’s onshore and offshore wind taskforces. At this event, Minister Dooley launched Enterprise Ireland’s Propel Ireland wind centre of excellence to an international audience, followed by a progress report on ‘Powering Prosperity’ – Ireland’s Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy, which was launched at WindEurope 2024 in Bilbao.

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