Displaying items by tag: Wind Energy Ireland

25th September 2022

Wind Energy Ireland Concern Over Shell Withdrawal from Irish Renewable Energy Market

Wind Energy Ireland has expressed concern at Shell’s withdrawal from the Irish offshore renewables market.

A Sunday Business Post exclusive today quotes a senior industry source stating that Shell is leaving to focus its efforts on “countries with more accommodating legislative frameworks”.

Shell had agreed deals with Cork-based company Simply Blue to acquire a 51 per cent share in the Western Star Floating wind project off the coast of Clare and to jointly develop the 1.3GW Emerald floating wind project off the south coast.

Norwegian energy major Equinor, which had been working the ESB to develop a 1.4GW floating wind farm off the Clare and Kerry coast, also left the Irish market last year.

This second significant withdrawal by an energy major has prompted Wind Energy Ireland to call on the government to put in place a “fit-for-purpose policy framework” for developing offshore wind.

WEI chief executive Noel Cunniffe

“While it is a concern to see Shell pulling out of the Irish offshore wind market, it is important to remember we still have some of the best offshore wind energy resources in the world and a growing pipeline of projects,” WEI chief executive Noel Cunniffe told the newspaper.

He said he understood that “Simply Blue Group remain fully committed to their two floating offshore wind projects and are doing everything to make them happen”.

“We need to see a policy put in place for the offshore wind process and, critically, the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) must be established as soon as possible to give developers clarity on how the next phase of offshore wind projects can deliver for 2030,” Cunniffe said.

The Sunday Business Post says it understands that the draft terms and conditions for the first Offshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (O-RESS) auction caused “significant disquiet among renewable energy developers when they were released late last year”.

It reports that under the draft terms for the O-RESS auction, a successful energy company would be required to put up a “performance security”, or a bond, of €24 for every megawatt hour of energy the proposed project will deliver.

The newspaper says a major issue in the draft guidelines was believed to relate to “a clause which stated that the Minister for Energy may take the bond if the project has not been granted planning consent by 2024”.

Read more in The Sunday Business Post HERE

Published in Power From the Sea

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Forty Foot Swimming Spot on Dublin Bay

The 'Forty Foot' is a rocky outcrop located at the southern tip of Dublin Bay at Sandycove, County Dublin from which people have been swimming in the Irish Sea all year round for 300 years or more. It is popular because it is one of few spots between Dublin city and Greystones in County Wicklow that allows for swimming at all stages of the tide, subject to the sea state.

Forty Foot History

Traditionally, the bathing spot was exclusively a men's bathing spot and the gentlemen's swimming club was established to help conserve the area.

Owing to its relative isolation and gender-specific nature it became a popular spot for nudists, but in the 1970s, during the women's liberation movement, a group of female equal-rights activists plunged into the waters and now it is also open to everyone and it is in the control of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.

Many people believe that swimming in extremely cold water is healthy and good for the immune system.

Is it safe to swim at the Forty Foot?

The Forty-Foot is a great place to swim because there is always enough water to get a dip but like all sea swimming, there are always hazards you need to be aware of. For example, a lot of people like to dive into to the pool at the Forty-foot but there are submerged rocks that can be hazardous especially at low water. The Council have erected signs to warn people of the underwater dangers. Other hazards include slippy granite cut stone steps that can often be covered with seaweed and of course marine wildlife including jellyfish that make their presence felt in the summer months as do an inquisitive nearby Sandycove seal colony.