Projects:
West coast, Ireland
We are exploring the potential for developing a number of marine
energy projects off the west coast of Ireland. Aquamarine
Power is one of four technology developers participating in the
Irish WestWave project. WestWave is a collaborative project
led by international energy company ESB International (ESBI).
WestWave Project with ESBI
The WestWave project aims to install and operate wave energy
converters capable of generating 5MW of clean electricity in Irish
waters by 2015.
We are involved with the WestWave project's proposed 5MW
pre-commercial wave farm at either Killard Point in County Clare or
Achill Island in County Mayo.
Aquamarine Power has also contributed to a study of the Irish
supply chain. The study identifies what is required to deliver the
WestWave project including the technical component breakdown and
the services and infrastructure required to support the
project. Enterprise Ireland will use this information to identify
companies available to deliver these requirements.
The WestWave project has applied for funding under the EU's New
Entrant Reserve (NER300) scheme. The NER300 fund is worth
around EUR4.5 billion and is designed to support innovative
renewable projects and carbon capture and storage (CCS) across the
European Union. The WestWave project was forwarded to the European
Commission in May 2011 for consideration following a review of the
submission by the Irish Government's Department of Communications,
Energy and Natural Resources (DCENR).
Working in partnership
In addition to the WestWave project, Aquamarine Power is working
with a number of other organisations to ensure Ireland capitalises
on its rich natural marine resource and delivers the national
strategy for ocean energy.
We work closely with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland
(SEAI), a statutory body of the Irish Government set up in 2002 to
support its vision of making Ireland a recognised global leader in
sustainable energy.
We are also a member of MRIA - the Marine Renewables Industry
Association - which is an all-island member organisation
representing the marine energy industry in Ireland. We are a
founder member of MRIA, which was established in 2009, and sit on
the MRIA Council.
Research excellence towards commercial development
We also work with a number of research institutes in Ireland and
Northern Ireland. We have set up a research group with
University College Dublin to focus on high end computational
modelling for wave energy systems and have also worked in close
partnership with Queen's University Belfast for a number of
years.
Aquamarine Power’s Oyster wave power technology has great potential and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland is delighted to support them in their efforts to develop sustainable marine energy projects in Ireland.
Eoin Sweeney, Head of Ocean Energy Development Unit
Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, Dublin
As a pioneering marine energy company with a wealth of industry expertise, Aquamarine Power is perfectly placed to help MRIA promote the growth of the industry in Ireland. We look forward to Aquamarine Power continuing to play a vital role in MRIA’s work.
Peter Coyle, Chairman
Marine Renewables Industry Association