Plans for renewable energy wave project begin

ESB International (ESBI) has applied for foreshore exploration licences to develop a 5 Megawatt wave energy project off the west coast of Ireland.


The licences will allow ESBI to conduct marine surveys and resource measurements at two locations, Killard Point, Co Clare and the Achill Area, Co Mayo.

The proposed project, named the WestWave project, aims to generate an initial 5MW of electricity from wave energy by 2015.

The licence application has been submitted to the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government (DEHLG) and the surveys are expected to take between one and two years to complete.

The WestWave project will seek funding under the EU NER300 programme and from domestic grant sources.

NER300 is a funding programme which aims to encourage private sector investors and EU Member States to invest in commercial low-carbon demonstration projects.

It will also seek support under the Republic of Ireland REFIT tariff for wave energy. The Irish Government’s strategy is to generate 500MW from ocean energy by 2020.

Alison Brown

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