IRELAND PICKS OCEAN ENERGY ZONES

Four marine energy zones proposed
Lorna Siggins, August 4, 2010 (Irish Times)

"…Four coastal areas – east of Wicklow, off west Clare, off north-west Mayo and off Kerry’s Dingle peninsula – have been proposed [as development zones for ocean energy projects] by the Marine Renewables Industry Association in a White Paper…This would help Ireland to achieve a 500-megawatt target for wave and tidal capacity by 2020…

"…[T]he target will require a “major co-ordinated effort” across all Government departments and agencies…The association, an umbrella group representing both tidal and wave energy interests, says the island enjoys a “massive” unexploited natural wave resource, and a significant tidal energy potential off the east and northeast coasts."

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"…Irish companies…are among the leading developers in the world of wave and tidal energy conversion technologies…[T]he Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) is developing a new national wave energy test site…a quarter-scale wave energy test site has been in place… [and there are] plans to relocate and expand the University College Cork hydraulics and maritime research centre as part of the new Maritime and Energy Research Campus…

"…[I]t will cost at least €1.5 billion alone to produce devices capable of meeting the 2020 target, with significant additional investment in supporting infrastructure…This could in turn create several thousand new jobs to support an emerging industry…[O]cean energy technology, which is still developing, will “mature” after 2020, similar to the wind energy sector…[T]he cost of producing electricity from wave and tidal energy sources will fall and the industry will develop an export market via interconnectors to other countries, particularly Britain…"

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"…[A supportive] economic and regulatory environment that would create…[t]ransparency, predictability and certainty…[is] eagerly awaited…[and] should be backed up by policy guidelines at national, regional and local level, to facilitate early development of technology, test sites and full scale ocean energy projects…

"The initial development zones identified by the industry association involve a tidal zone from Wicklow to Brittas Bay and three wave energy zones: from Loop Head to Hags Head in west Clare; from Benwee Head to Achill Head in northwest Mayo; and northwest of the Dingle peninsula, north Kerry…Each of these zones would extend out to the 12 nautical mile limit…"