Public Consultation Starts on Galway Bay Test Site Lease Application

A public consultation is underway on Marine Institute’s application for a foreshore lease to upgrade the Galway Bay marine and renewable energy test site which would allow floating wind farm technology to be tested offshore Ireland.

The Marine Institute has applied to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government for a foreshore lease for the test site where prototype marine renewable energy technology can be tested at reduced scale to determine viability in an ocean environment.

Observations are invited on the foreshore lease application which outlines plans to upgrade the current infrastructure and facilitate the deployment of a wider range of marine renewable energy devices and novel sensor technologies at the site.

The site has been in operation since 2006 when it was established by the Marine Institute and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. The purpose of the site is to allow technology innovators to test the viability of small scale prototypes in an ocean environment.

The public consultation process will end on 17 June 2016.

The Marine Institute plans to hold a public information evening in early June as part of the consultation process, details of which will be announced in due course.