Four new members appointed to Maritime Area Regulatory Authority board

The Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment has made four appointments to the board of the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA), the regulator responsible for maritime area consents and offshore-wind planning in Ireland. The appointments, each for a term of four years, were published in Iris Oifigiúil No. 69 of Friday, 28 August 2026, under the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021.

The appointments were made pursuant to Section 45(1) of the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021, which governs the composition of the board of the authority. Three of the four appointees are new to the board, while one is a reappointment, and all take effect from 17 July 2026.

The new board members

The four appointees bring representation from across the public service and local government:

• Ciara Reynolds — Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment — new appointment, effective 17/07/2026.
• Eugene Waters — Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage — new appointment, effective 17/07/2026.
• Patrick Moran — Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation — reappointment, effective 17/07/2026.
• Kevin Kelly — The County and City Management Association — new appointment, effective 17/07/2026.

The regulator and its role

MARA was established under the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021 as the independent regulator for the planning and management of Ireland’s maritime area. It is responsible for granting maritime area consents, which are required for offshore renewable energy projects, including the offshore-wind developments central to Ireland’s climate and energy targets.

The board’s composition reflects the cross-departmental nature of maritime planning, drawing on the climate and energy portfolio, housing and heritage, public expenditure and reform, and local government through the County and City Management Association. The four-year terms align the board’s mandate with the longer planning cycles of major offshore infrastructure projects.

Significance of the appointments

The renewal and expansion of the board comes at a pivotal moment for Ireland’s offshore-wind sector, as the authority processes maritime area consents that will shape the siting and delivery of future offshore energy capacity. The mix of new appointments and a reappointment is intended to maintain continuity of expertise while bringing fresh perspectives to the regulator’s decision-making.

For readers, the appointments signal the continued build-out of the governance structures underpinning Ireland’s maritime planning regime. The decisions taken by this board over the coming four years will influence which offshore projects proceed, where they are located, and how Ireland’s maritime area is managed in line with the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021.

Source: Iris Oifigiúil, No. 69, 28 August 2026, Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment (official reference: [G-6]).