On 30 March 2009, a delegation from this committee visited Belmullet and had discussions with officials from Mayo County Council and the Marine Institute on renewable energy issues affecting the development of wind and wave energy projects in County Mayo. It was felt at that time that it would be worthwhile for the committee to have an opportunity to discuss these matters and an invitation was extended to the officials to make a presentation to the committee at an agreed date. This afternoon we are pleased to welcome Mr. Des Mahon, Mayo county manager, Mr. Peter Hynes, director of services at Mayo County Council, and Mr. James Ryan, Marine Institute. I thank the delegation for appearing before the committee and apologise for the delay. I invite Mr. Des Mahon to make his presentation.
Energy Security: Discussion with Mayo County Council and Marine Institute.
Mr. Des Mahon
Ba mhaith liom bhuíochas a gabháil libh as ocht an gcuireadh a tugadh dúinn labhairt libh ag an gcruinniu seo inniu.
Chairman, Theachtai Dála, Senators, I thank you for the invitation to address the Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security. This is a follow up to a previous meeting with your committee held in Belmullet, County Mayo, and I thank you for the invitation to make a short presentation to the committee.
I welcome the opportunity to brief the committee on the development of renewable energy projects in north Mayo. We have prepared a short presentation which will deal with the current status of the Corrib gas project, and the status of key wind and wave energy projects which are all located in a compact area of north Mayo. We will attempt to present these projects in the context of the particular place which is County Mayo, and the particular challenges which face us at this time.
The presentations will be delivered by my colleagues, Mr. Peter Hynes, director of services, Mayo County Council, and Mr. James Ryan, manager of the ocean energy programme at the Marine Institute.
In the course of the presentations members will see that there is a considerable opportunity in this part of north-west Mayo, an opportunity which could be extremely beneficial, not just for County Mayo, but for Ireland as a whole. The timing of this meeting is in many ways fortuitous. We face many challenges, the challenge of global warming, the challenge of national energy security and the challenge of sustainability. I do not need to reiterate or restate the economic challenges which face all of us. However, I believe that in that series of challenges lies the kernel of an opportunity which could be of fundamental importance for all our futures.
It seems clear to us that the future will be about green energy. There will be major benefits for those who forge ahead with the technology to develop and deliver that energy. In what is in effect a global competition, those who establish themselves as industry leaders will reap huge benefits in terms of economic development and employment generation. I am confident that at the end of the presentations, members will share my view that an opportunity exists at this time to take a key step to establish ourselves as global leaders in this area. That opportunity, that challenge, is to establish an integrated applied alternative energy hub in north-west Mayo.
I will speak again following the presentations by my colleagues about how we in Mayo County Council envisage that opportunity could be realised. I invite Mr. Peter Hynes to make a presentation.
Mr. Peter Hynes
I want to speak about the Mayo context for those who were not on the visit to Mayo in March. I want to avail of the opportunity to update those who were not on the trip to the Corrib gas project and particularly the local authority involvement therein. I want to speak about wind energy and Mr. James Ryan will speak in some detail about wave energy and its potential.
To put what we are talking about in context, Mayo is one of the largest counties in the country on the north-west Atlantic coast, dominated by three large towns, Castlebar, Ballina and Westport. For the purposes of our story today the Mullet Peninsula, the town of Belmullet and Bellacorick power station, are the key areas on which we will concentrate.
In terms of place we have an extensive coastline which is very important in terms of energy presentation and a maritime tradition. The area has a long history of habitation going back to the Céide Fields which dates back 5,000 years and a long history of pilgrimage to Croagh Patrick, with which many people would be aware. Less positive parts of our heritage which were extremely badly affected by the Famine include the national famine monument at the base of Croagh Patrick. That legacy of depopulation informs much of what Mayo County Council does. As a county we suffered a 70% reduction in population from 1841 to 2001. Thankfully that has reversed and stabilised during the past decade and it is part of our job to ensure that upper trend and repopulation continues. We have a large legacy of towns and villages which have much of the infrastructure in place but need repopulation, reinvestment and energy pumped into them. Part of the tradition of the place is many independent-minded, self-sustaining communities which is something that must be borne in mind when we speak about projects in this area.
In terms of how local government is organised, following on from the reorganisation of Better Local Government in 2001, the county has been broadly divided into three regions. The west region centres on Westport and Belmullet. We have seven local services centres. These are the first points of contact for the public and our customers and deliver a full range of local authority services. The centre in Belmullet, a civic centre, was visited by some members of the committee in March. It is important not just because we are very proud of the project that has been developed in the centre of town but because of the example it portrays of a very integrated partnership approach to development. In the centre we have our own offices. We have a courthouse, we have Údarás na Gaeltachta, and we have a fully fledged art centre, all working very closely together. The Údarás office is important in terms of the proposal for the development of an energy hub, a topic to which we will return. The enterprise space, which is available for immediate use, is shown on the right of the slide. The location of our seven centres out of the main administrative capital of the county means that we can be very responsive. One of the examples of that, of which people may be aware, is the Pollatomish landslides in 2003. This was reported nationally at the time and the area was reinstated by the local authority in partnership with the OPW, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, and the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.
The notion that Mayo is simply an agricultural county is one on which we want to expand because there are 6,000 manufacturing jobs there and the export value from a number of key industrial plants such as Coca-Cola and Allergan amounts to a sum of the order of €4 billion per annum. Central to that are the concerns of energy, power and communications. The Corrib gas project is obviously a key concern in all of those areas. The project has four main elements, the wells and the off-shore pipeline, the landfall and on-shore pipeline, the terminal itself, and the connection back from the terminal site to the national grid.
Looking at the components, the well and off-shore pipeline are at the top left of the slide and the connection to the national grid is indicated on the map of Ireland. It connects back to Craughwell and that pipeline is already in place. In terms of the current state of progress, photographs taken approximately a week to a week and half ago show the state of construction of the terminal which is scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2010. The laying of the off-shore pipeline, which is not the responsibility of the local authority, was started about two weeks ago and is now under way. In terms of our role, we are the organ of local government. We are the environmental authority, or at least one of them, and we are a development agency in our own right. We have an interest in attracting investment.
To put the planning in some kind of perspective, there were several different applications. There was one in 2000. There was one in 2001 which was refused by An Bord Pleanála on five grounds. Those five grounds were addressed in a new application in 2003 which was granted in 2004 with 42 conditions. There have been several smaller applications on fairly minor parts of the project since. The 42 conditions in the 2004 grant related to five key areas, stability, transportation, environment, monitoring complaints and a community fund. To oversee those a project monitoring committee was set up which looks after our overseas terminal construction, the peat deposition site, environmental monitoring, communication and community projects. The membership of that PMC includes the county council, the developer, the community and a number of State agencies and Departments, including the EPA and the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. It is chaired by the county manager. Its main function is environmental monitoring and communication of that environmental monitoring and the overseeing of community projects.
There has been a great deal of debate and discussion about the quality of the monitoring and the impact of the project in terms of the local environment. For that reason I want to show the committee where the principal monitoring locations are. The site is indicated on the map by the word "Axonics"; below that is the outfall from the site; BEL1 indicates the river above the outfall; BEL2 indicates the river below the outfall. There are also some photographs of the monitoring. The project is very carefully monitored. Up to the end of 2008 — these slides were put together earlier this year — we had some 2,500 individual sampling and monitoring exercises carried out, looking at a whole range of variables from suspended solids through to phosphates and aluminium and monitoring both in terms of chemical and biological surveys. There are slides showing the range of compliance and non-compliance in terms of suspended solids. There is a very high level of compliance and some non-compliance. There is an extremely high level of compliance in terms of the targets set for phosphates.
In terms of aluminium, which has been of particular concern and was raised publicly on several occasions, I want to show the committee three graphs. The first is the graph of the output upstream of the terminal shown on the left which shows most of the levels are below the 500 micrograms per litre level. The corresponding graph of results from below the outfall of the terminal shows there is no huge variation across the two. In Carrowmore Lake, again there is no major variation between upstream, downstream and in the lake as a result of the project. That would be consistent with the other biological monitoring that is being carried out. Of particular importance, and we welcome the opportunity to again put it on the record, is the fact that in the Erris regional water supply, which is extremely closely monitored for aluminium, probably the most closely monitored water supply in terms of aluminium levels in the country, there is absolutely no issue in terms of the impact of the project on the public water supply.
In terms of the development agency, we have worked with the developer and others to ensure that investment in the locale is maximised. That has come in three forms. There is the local infrastructure where there has been a total investment of €12 million, investment in community projects of €500 arising out of a levy imposed on the transportation of peat, and the gas west project of €27 million. Two major routes have been upgraded at a total investment of €5 million. These are the kinds of roads and the kinds of work we have carried out, and this is the kind of result that has been achieved. One of the community projects involved an investment of a total of €200,000 in access to the lake for the Bangor Erris anglers.
In regard to the Galway-Mayo pipeline, 189 km are already in place. That has enabled the gas west project, which has allowed the natural gas grid to be extended to key towns in Mayo and Galway. The towns are listed in the presentation. The total investment in the gas project is some €27 million. It involved some €60 million for distributor and connector pipes from the gas main to the towns themselves.
Of key importance in this project is that the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources has financed and overseen the laying of a fibre-optic capable ducting along that network. There are some minor legal impediments to its use for public broadband and they are being resolved in conjunction with the local authority. It opens up the prospect of linking all of this area of Mayo and Galway into a national fibre-optic delivered broadband system. As a demonstration of real tangible benefits, the first flame from natural gas in the west was lit last year in Westport. In terms of natural resources, we have gas, wind and wave. We have a cluster in this area around Bellacorick with the gas at Bellanaboy, the former power station at Bellacorick and wave, with which Mr. James Ryan will deal, off the west coast of the Mullet Peninsula. We have several other projects in Mayo at various stages of development. There are at least two major power projects, one based on biomass and peat at the old Killala site and one based on gas at the site in Bellacorick. For today we want to concentrate on this cluster in the North West.
Key projects on the energy side are the Bellacorick wind farm where a farm of more than 200 turbines has already got all of the permits in terms of planning permission. When in production it will produce some 500 MW and has had permission since 2004. The key concerns of that project are grid access and inclusion in the gate 3 offers and grid upgrade. The project will require substantial investment in terms of grid upgrade to allow the totality of the project. Some of it — I understand 30% — could be moved ahead on the basis of the grid as it currently exists. In terms of wave energy in this area, I want to hand over to Mr. James Ryan who will take us through his Powerpoint presentation and we will come back to the summary presently.
Mr. James Ryan
I will go through this presentation quickly as time is short. In slide 1, we acknowledge our sponsors, Sustainable Energy Ireland, the ocean energy development unit, a new unit which is managing the whole ocean programme in Ireland. The partners in the project are ESB International and the Marine Institute. My role is as manager of the Marine Institute ocean energy programme and I am also the eyes and ears on the ground in Belmullet for the proposed test site. The project management on setting up the test site in north Mayo is being provided by Arup Consulting Engineers.
I will outline the ocean energy resource we have around the coast, the types of technologies that are being employed to exploit that resource, the Irish R&D strategy as it has been envisaged and then I will focus on the wave power test site facilities, particularly in north Mayo.
On the next slide we have a map of the world and as members will see Ireland is located in a hot spot for waves and that is one of the reasons we are interested in getting involved in exploiting ocean energy. We are interested in it not only from the perspective of exploiting the resource but also and very importantly from the perspective of being big players in developing and providing the technologies as a potentially new export market for Ireland. On the wave resource, in partnership with SEI, we produced a wave resource atlas which gives us a picture of the resource we have in terms of waves. The next slide indicates an average wave height off the west coast of around 2.5 metres throughout the year and up to 3 metres in places. That means the average wave height on the west coast is up to 10 feet throughout the year. Let me emphasise that in theory, wave power could provide the full electricity requirement for Ireland. Looking at the tidal movement, the resource is possibly less extensive, but none the less interesting. We are looking at being able to provide in the region of 6% to 10% of Ireland's requirement for electricity in the form of tidal power when we develop the technology to do so.
In the next image, the pink spots are the areas of interest. The pink and red spots are located mostly in the North of Ireland and the Irish Sea. The reason they are concentrated in those areas is that to get the horizontal movement of tidal water and currents, one needs constrictions caused by the land. An Irish company, Ocean Energy Limited has provided an experimental quarter scale machine on our site near Spiddal, Galway for the past couple of years. One can see from the diagram on the right hand side, the device has underwater chambers into which the waves can flow in and out freely and then at the front of the device, there is an air chamber above it and as the waves move in and out of the submerged chambers the air pressure fluctuates inside the air chamber and that causes the turbines at the back to spin. On a good day one can see the large turbine spinning at a great rate.
The interesting point is that the turbine turns in the same direction regardless of whether the air is blowing in or out through it. I am not sure how they achieve that but it works. That machine has been recorded generating more than 20 kW of power, which does not sound very much, given that the average wind turbine is 1 kW, 2 kW or 3kW, but I am reassured that if one scales up the quarter device four times to full size, one should be able to produce in the order of 1 MW to 1.3 MW.
The next slide deals with the other device, the wavebob, which has been on site in Spiddal for the past couple of years. Again the drawing on the right hand side indicates how this system works. It is very different from the previous device. The chamber underneath the water extends down to about 16 metres deep off Spiddal. Again it is a quarter scale device so the full scale device, whenever it is built, will have a depth of 64 metres. It is quite a large machine. The way it works is that the underneath part hardly moves at all because it is below the wave motion, the top doughnut shaped part moves up and down on the waves and the two are connected via a hydraulic ram, so the differential movement between the two is captured by the hydraulic rams and that creates a hydraulic pressure. One can see all the hydraulic hoses in the photograph of the device on the left hand side. That hydraulic pressure is converted into electricity by means of a turbine inside the floating doughnut. That has been recorded as producing more than 20 kW and the same applies in terms of scaling up. It is reckoned that it will produce 1 MW to 1.3 MW at full scale.
The next slide is a unique photograph of the two devices on site at the same time off Spiddal. This is unique because as far as I am aware, no site in the world has had two wave devices on it. It only lasted for a couple of weeks but we got the photograph. What was interesting was that the coast guard helicopter which took the picture did not realise it was taking a photograph of wind turbines in the background.
The next slide is of Pelamis, a Scottish device, which is actually the first full-scale wave power machine ever to be connected to a grid. That happened briefly in Portugal last summer. The same people say they will be our first customer on the site in County Mayo. The next slide shows an interesting full-scale device which is about to be tested in the Orkney Islands in Scotland this summer and will be connected to the grid. This will be a first for the UK to have a full-scale wave device connected to the grid. The reason I am showing it is that a wealthy American businessman with Achill roots is hoping to set up a small farm of these devices off Keel beach in Achill Island. This is interesting for another reason. This device moves up and down with the waves and drives pistons which compress sea water in the pipe. That sends compressed sea water to the shore where there is a turbine for converting the pressurised sea water to electricity. That is an interesting difference from many other machines in that a lot of the technology is on the shore where it is easier to look after.
How far off the coast would that be?
Mr. James Ryan
That would be quite close to the coast. A maximum depth for that machine is 20 metres to 25 metres so it would be much more inshore than the other machines we have been looking at.
The next slide is a recent photograph of the device at the end of its construction in the factory. One can see the scale of the device.
What is the output?
Mr. James Ryan
It is 0.5MW.
The star performer in Ireland is the Irish company OpenHydro, based in Dublin which has recently set up a factory in Dundalk. This company achieved a world first in that it produced the first tidal device to be connected to the grid in the Orkneys. It tested a 250 kW machine there. We would like to have hosted this company but we do not have a tidal energy test site as yet, but we are working on it. The company has taken orders from around the world and it is now at the building stage and is trying to supply machines of 1MW. They say they will never again set up a device on piles, as can be seen in the photograph. Getting the piles into that hostile site was an engineering nightmare. One can see the speed of the water moving through it. On the bottom left there is an artist's impression of how their devices will look in future. It will use a gravity foundation. They will drop it onto the sea bed from a work boat and connect it up.
We have a four-phase strategy and are in phase two at the moment. We are more or less on target. The ocean energy development unit was recently set up within Sustainable Energy Ireland, SEI. The three key agencies are outlined. The target is 500 MW by 2020 and that is very ambitious. A key part of the strategy is moving the development of technologies from drawing stage to tank testing to quarter-scale testing and, finally, to full-scale testing. There is a very cohesive protocol for proving these devices and technologies.
The Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources has committed €26 million over the next three years and we have been assured that money is safe — I hope it is. It may be up for discussion. The money was targeted at infrastructure tank testing in Cork — the grid-connected, full-scale ocean test facilities we are here today to talk about. Importantly, much funding has been directed towards prototype development and technology developers in Ireland and overseas.
Regarding the proposed test site in north Mayo, we went through a selection process over a couple of years and decided on a site in July 2008. We looked at other areas and used a scoring system and Mayo won. We conducted a survey after Mayo was identified as a likely site and the members will note that it is a complex site bathymetrically. When we first started surveying the area we wondered if we would ever get through all the rock but we eventually found a cable route through it. We propose to set up the first devices at the outer green-blue end visible on the presentation. Depths range from 10 metres at the inner end of the survey area to around 120 metres at the blue-purple part of the presentation. One of the advantages of the site is deep water is relatively close to the coast.
Members will now see our impression of how the site will be set up. They can see the cable route going out through the middle. There will be three test berths. The one furthest out will be for very deep elements like the wavebob, which requires at least 64 metres of water to be safe from hitting the sea bed in bad weather. The outer site is targeted at 90 metres to 100 metres of depth and is between six and seven miles from the nearest coast. The inner site, site B, is for the ocean energy device the members saw and devices of a similar nature. It is for the oyster, which works in 20 metres of water and is targeted for Achill, and such in-shore devices. This is the concept for exploiting the site.
We sat around tables talking about this for many years but decided we should go out on a boat to experience the waves on the site. We went out on a day of average conditions such as three-metre waves. We brought sandwiches but did not eat them. The photo the members can now see was taken three miles from the coast. One can just make out a bit of Ireland on the horizon. I am trying to give an impression of where we were. It was very remote. The site which is furthest from the coast is six miles out and it is not possible to see land from there most of the time.
Did Mr. Ryan visit the A, B or C site?
Mr. James Ryan
We were just outside the B site. We were a mile and a half beyond the B site, which itself is a mile and a half from the shore.
On tidal power, I mentioned we would like to have a facility and it so happens that there is a suitable site — members will see it in the red square in the presentation between Inis Bigil and Achill. There is a very fast tidal movement there that is too small-scale to be commercially interesting but is very suitable for small-scale test devices. The advantage of this is it is adjacent to the wave power test site and would enable us to offer a full range of facilities in north Mayo.
Throughout the discussion of wind, wave and tidal energy, I felt I was suggesting a new idea for a north Mayo renewable energy hub but everyone else had the same idea, including local people and the local authority.
Mr. Peter Hynes
To summarise what has been shown in the two visual presentations, we have given the background and context to what we feel is a unique opportunity in north-west Mayo. This opportunity relates to wind and wave energy and to the gas development there. The key projects are the Corrib gas project, the Bellacorick wind farm and the Frenchport wave test site. If all of these are put together with enthusiasm the result will be the Erris energy hub.
The actions required involve integration, communication, commitment, investment and partnership. Integration is required on the licensing side. Communication is required to grasp the opportunity and turn it into a reality by bringing broadband, delivered by fibre optics, to that corner of the country. We will say nothing on commitment and confidence but infrastructure investment is required to make this a reality and it needs a strategic partnership.
Mr. Des Mahon
As I said earlier, these are times of extreme and distressing challenges but within those challenges we can start to discern the seeds of future opportunity. The challenge of developing environmentally friendly and sustainable energy sources is one of the biggest facing not just this country but the planet as a whole. The prize for those who lead the way in this enterprise will be truly global. Through the force of circumstance, we in Ireland are as well placed as anyone to strive towards the global prize.
What do we need to do to move ahead, grapple with this challenge and turn this opportunity into reality? Three key actions must be delivered. First, we must instil a sense of urgency. We are in a competitive situation — effectively a global race to develop and deliver technology and techniques for wind and, particularly, wave energy. We must continue to see progress in this area as a key national priority.
Second, integration is required. We need an integrated, joined-up licensing system — a modified permit system that is less confrontational than the current one and avoids its substantial waste of resources. Positively framed, forward looking legislation is required to streamline the licensing and permit system. It should reward endeavour and risk-taking in the prospect of achieving substantial benefits for the greater good. Third, a project team or task force must be set up. The label does not matter as the basic unit will be the same in all cases. It will be an integrated team involving key players from the major agencies including Sustainable Energy Ireland, the Marine Institute, the local authorities, the university sector and the four Government Departments most closely involved, namely, the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.
How would such a team operate? It would be established under the guidance and management of a single focused and energised leader who would report directly to the Government. The team would be established for a minimum of three years with an absolute dissolution date of five years and would have three key objectives. First, it would develop an applied alternative energy hub in north Mayo. Second, it would develop the national wave energy test centre on the designated site off the coast of the Mullet Peninsula to populate the centre with test devices and to support the development of technology that will deliver energy from our offshore wave resource. Third, it will develop the major resource, the Bellacorick wind farm, and deliver 500 MW of wind energy to the national grid.
I thank the committee again for the opportunity to make this presentation. We live in difficult and challenging times, but within those very challenges, we can discern what could be a very bright future. It is an opportunity which will not last indefinitely in our competitive global village. While we cannot act hastily or wastefully, we do need to act with urgency, with commitment and with resolve. The potential rewards for decisive and creative action in this area are great, and while it is not one of the core activities of local government, we in Mayo County Council would welcome any opportunity to assist in progressing this endeavour. We will be happy to attempt to answer any questions members may have at this time.
I welcome the delegation. A number of members will recall fondly the day we took a boat out on Galway Bay to look at the test site. Even then, there was an element of competition between ocean energy and wavebob, as there were a few hiccups that day. That tension is positive in the context of the desire of both companies to gain an edge by getting to market first. We want such competition in this area and many others.
I have expressed concern about bringing expertise from the Marine Institute into the ocean energy unit in SEI but many of my concerns were allayed by the presentation. Ambitious and practical work is ongoing, which is good and should be commended.
There is a great deal of concern that the allocation of €26 million announced last year for ocean energy is subject to funding availability. A sum of €1 million was spent last year and the company is committed to spending €7 million this year, which presumably means €18 million remains to be spent next year. Many people are sceptical about whether such a sum will be spent next year on ocean energy projects. I hope I am wrong but the Minister is non-committal on this. It is up to all of us to keep pushing that agenda, given it is a small sum in the bigger scheme of things and the potential of this industry if the pilot projects are as successful as we hope they will be as they are scaled up.
It is great to see a local authority being as proactive as Mayo County Council in facing a broader national challenge. Many councils tend to look after their own patch and do not engage in the national debate. It is great that Mayo County Council is involved, for which it should be commended. A number of other local authorities are becoming involved with, for example, Cork and Kerry county councils designating areas for wind farms and so on. Much of this, however, is dependent on how committed county managers are to a climate change agenda. It is great that Mayo County Council is trying to take the lead.
There are proposals for energy projects in other parts of the country, such as Clare and west Limerick, to link the nearby terminal with many ambitious wind farm projects. Likewise, an energy hub is proposed in north Kerry, where there is much wind farm activity. Individuals are hoping to set up a marine research base on Haulbowline Island in Cork Harbour linking universities, the maritime college, the naval headquarters and so on to the research being conducted by the Marine Institute. Hubs of activity are in place in different parts of the country, which is positive, but we need to make sure this activity is harnessed in order that everybody pulls in the same direction. However, north-west Mayo is a unique site for ocean and wave energy. When gas is finally brought ashore, the site could become the type of centre to which people from around the world will travel to examine what is possible in ocean energy research.
Building the power generation capacity is less of a problem than building the grid to transmit the power. Anyone who has been involved in upgrading the grid in counties Meath, Cavan and Monaghan or in Roscommon, for example, knows it is hugely difficult to install basic infrastructure in isolated rural areas, never mind urban areas, unless it is put underground. The debate is ongoing about whether it is possible to do that with 400 kV high power lines, although it is possible with 220 kV and 110 kV lines. How can that planning issue be tackled while still giving communities a fair opportunity to make objections and observations? Ultimately, if the grid promised by EirGrid and the Government cannot be built, the State will be unable to tap into the potential of wind energy projects in Mayo, Clare, west Cork and Kerry.
Mayo also features in the Spirit of Ireland plan. Has the council engaged with developers or the Spirit of Ireland team regarding suitable sites for large-scale energy storage projects? Much persuasion is still needed regarding whether that is a viable proposition but it is an exciting proposal, which needs detailed consideration. It is being taken seriously by a number of important elements in the energy debate. Mayo County Council is leading by example and I am glad it has a seamless relationship with the Marine Institute and SEI on ocean energy projects.
I congratulate the local authority on its work, which is absolutely superb. It is a model of best practice. The Bellacorick proposal for 500 MW and the ocean energy potential of 500 MW would meet 20% of Ireland's peak needs. The world at large is not aware of that. On the issue of connecting to the national grid, those involved went to a great deal of trouble to find a route on the ocean floor. It would be helpful if a similar exercise was conducted on land to see where the high powered cable route could be established because this is the crucial issue. People's concerns must be addressed.
The other issue about which I am absolutely terrified is the Scottish experience, which the delegation passed over simply. Reference was made to Pelamis, which will provide 750 MW, and the Orkney Islands being connected to the grid. It is rather like the situation with technology, where Ireland was leading Europe ten years ago. We are being passed out now by Scotland. When I saw the map of the ocean wave energy I was amazed to note there is more wave energy around north Mayo than in the southern ocean. That is quite extraordinary. I do not think people have adverted to these things. We need to look very carefully at the development of the ocean energy in particular. We have something here which is as valuable as the gas, in terms of Mayo, and we need to get the grid moving and then move on to the issue of storage. I appreciate that is not an issue for the delegates but it is an issue for the committee. We have been looking all the time at where the energy can be stored. It is important to recognise that the wave energy is more or less constant and unlike wind energy in that regard. That has an impact on the grid which is completely different from the impact of wind energy. This committee will be told that wind energy has to be backed up by twice that amount in other kinds of energy to ensure there is a constant supply. There is a different equation when dealing with wave energy and I wonder what that might be. Those are the issues that have to be dealt with — how to get the grid connection done and whether it is possible for the local authority to work out a power line route that would be acceptable. I do not suggest that this be done, but in terms of supplying Connacht there might be different needs in connecting with the grid.
The delegates said in passing that the local authority could go ahead with one third of the proposal for Bellacorick which is approximately 200 MW with the grid as it exists with the connections. What are the possibilities of that happening? I was simply blown away with the professionalism of the presentation and the background work being done by the local authority. I would just add to Deputy Coveney's congratulations, it is important to see this happening.
On the issue of broadband connection, what legislation needs to be unblocked to bring broadband west?
My questions are quite similar. I welcome the delegates to the committee. Following its stimulating presentation in Mayo, we considered it was important that the rest of the committee would hear it. At that time we asked about the difficulties being experienced. I am getting a sense of the difficulties and that is where we as a committee can be of assistance. The county manager referred to the sense of urgency and integration in terms of the licensing. Every time we meet people with great ideas the issues that always hold them back are the licensing and planning issues in Ireland. I was interested to hear what he had to say about Scotland. As Senator O'Toole has said, we were once at the forefront but we are slipping. I am aware from people pioneering in this area that they are going to Scotland because they are fed up of the situation in Ireland and we will lose so much money. Given the challenges facing us, that worries me. Time and again I hear from people who are interested in investing, and have put much of their money at risk in this area. They see the potential but the State is not helping. While we as a committee have tried to do something in terms of draft legislation for the Minister, we question the bona fides of the Department in trying to deliver because it is not moving. I do not know if it senses the urgency and the rate at which we are likely to lose investment. Everybody is going to Scotland to do test sites. We have tremendous potential in Ireland and it galls me, as I am sure it does every other member of the committee, that because of the intransigence within the Department the enormous potential will not be released. I am glad credit was given to the local authority in this area, because one does not always get a local authority spearheading an idea such as this.
One of the most valuable things the delegates could do is point out that Mayo could be an ocean energy hub. All the experience and expertise the delegates have gained over the years will be invaluable to us. However much time and effort the delegates, individual organisations and private enterprise have put into this project, we are coming to the end of the road if the Government does not clear the way. I am concerned about this at a time when we need enterprising individuals and enterprise particularly in more peripheral areas. It would be invaluable if the delegates would highlight the issue very clearly in no uncertain terms to us so that we can present it to the Department. I am sure it is aware of it but, if so, I cannot comprehend why it is not doing something about it. It is the organisation tasked with opening the potential. It is not just a regional, national, European or global issue. We can be world leaders. I have heard time and again of people who see the potential in Ireland to manufacture, be it through wind turbines or the other devices, and yet we are losing this work to Scotland. It galls me and it is incessant and nobody seems to be doing anything about it. Credit must go to the committee in trying to draft the legislation. We have some way to go yet.
The delegates mentioned that we do not yet have a tidal test site. What is needed to make a tidal test site? As I mentioned previously, we need to open the door for these people to come here and we need to be at the forefront. We need to provide everything they need to test whatever it is. This is our opportunity to steal a march on other places. Something tells me that these industries would rather locate in Ireland than in the completely peripheral areas around the Orkney Islands. It may be that it is cheaper to do it here because of the less hostile geological environment but it is the hostile governmental environment that we need to change.
The delegates referred to the potential for export of wave power resources. What are the obstacles here because we need as clear a run as possible? The delegates have got so much expertise through the work done to date to be able to tell us if we can clear the way.
I see Mayo as being the ocean energy hub but as with the LPG around the Limerick or Kerry area, there is another type of energy such as wind energy, the potential for which is huge as is the potential for shipping. We should not see it as one site only where the country can invest. The idea of a new sector, the ocean energy sector, in terms of industry is good. What happened in the 1980s and 1990s in terms of software development and so on can happen here with an industry such as this. I commend the delegates and thank them for appearing before the committee. I hope the good work they are doing in Mayo gets a wider airing.
I will take all the questions first.
I offer my apologies. I may not be able to remain for all the answers as I have another commitment but I will certainly read the Official Report. I welcome the delegates and congratulate them on their presentation and the work they do.
They started talking about the Corrib gas development — obviously that has taken up much of their time — and itemised certain local benefits. Looking at this from the outside, one could argue that many of the local benefits resulted from local conflict and local dissatisfaction. Can the witnesses comment on the lessons from that experience? We must know how to do these things better if we are to realise the potential in oil, gas or wind energy. Whether we are discussing structures in Meath or cables in Mayo, good management is required and local people must be part of the solution. What lessons can be learned about issues arising in future?
It is commendable that the local authority took on such a proactive role because in my experience that is the exception rather than the rule. Will the cutbacks and lack of temporary contracts impact on how the delegates proceed in this role? I understand the fibre optic cable relates to the Cassels project and that issues remained to be resolved; have they been resolved yet? We have been pushing this point to ensure that wherever trenches are dug full use is made of the communications infrastructure and facilities available.
On grid access and upgrades, what are the difficulties relating to connection for renewable sources of energy? I do not know where we stand on this and the fact that the council has local application is very useful to us in determining public policy across the country. The point was made about tidal energy units being connected to the British grid but it seems we are some way off a commercial outcome in terms of tidal energy and wave energy. We should get a grip on this discussion in terms of timeframe; can the witnesses comment on this?
We all understand the key points the witnesses made on urgency and integration. One of the great sources of frustration for this committee in dealing with climate change, which covers many Departments, is the lack of integration. Can the witness tell us about the obstacles to integration? Everyone talks about joined-up Government but it does not happen; how can this be resolved? It does not make sense to establish a task force with an integrated approach and a sense of urgency solely for Mayo. We must look at the whole country strategically; certain areas can benefit and Mayo is one of them. The witnesses have done much of the groundwork but an integrated approach would have to be national in nature.
Have the witnesses looked at the proposals relating to the Foreshore (Amendment) Bill? The Chairman was instrumental in developing this legislation and it gave a pivotal role to the Marine Institute, though it has disappeared into a black hole. I did not hear anything about the Bellacorick wind farm until the end of the presentation. Can the witnesses tell us about wind energy development in Mayo? It is a very windy place and we know that on-shore wind turbines work. They seem to be the easiest proven way to develop renewable energy. I want to understand the difficulties and requirements relating to what we are discussing. I feel that much of this is a long way down the road, whether it relates to Spirit of Ireland or tidal energy. We must do certain things now.
I am sorry to interrupt but there is a vote in the Seanad.
That is all I had to say. I thank the delegates for coming here.
I will not delay because many of my concerns have been cleared up. We all agree that there is huge potential for ocean energy and renewable energy in Ireland and it seems the north west of Mayo is the area of the country with most potential, especially when one takes gas into account. It is either a very lucky or unlucky area.
Regarding emissions targets and in a national context, should this be seen as critical infrastructure? People realise this area may constitute a new industry that can create jobs and contribute to the economy. If a sense of urgency is required, should representatives from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Department of Education and Science, particularly those with expertise in science and technology, be included? This committee has been informed of much of what is happening since it was formed around 18 months ago and we sometimes wonder how other people are not as aware of what is going on. It seems it is difficult to get the information out of this committee room.
I appreciate that Mayo County Council and the Marine Institute have done much work in this area. The Marine Institute covers more than just Mayo and the Spiddal site is unique in this part of the world as a test centre. It was a forward-looking initiative to license the field and allow this to happen.
The witnesses have called for a national sense of urgency but how can this be achieved? The pilot scheme covers most of the alternative energy bases and it is the ideal place to start and see how things develop. The problem lies with the transmission system and the network; where can the best potential for creating energy be found and where is it needed? We met people from a utilities company in Sweden, Vattenfall, who are working with Wavebob on a joint venture. They have high hopes for the renewable energy capacity of the North West coast. The interconnector relates to the export market as well as the domestic market so how critical is it?
There is very little I disagree with in the vision set out by the witnesses. It may mean jobs for the economy but can we get the impetus to make it a priority? It should be a priority but I am frustrated that we have not progressed further. Deputy McManus mentioned the Foreshore (Amendment) Bill which has gone into hiding. It has been covered up since we produced it; there is no sign that it will either be corrected, if necessary, or enacted.
Mr. Des Mahon
Deputy Coveney mentioned planning but he will know it is a process and safety is paramount. The common good is very important as we regard this as a critical infrastructure issue. We are seeking focus, urgency, the updating of the permit system and, most important, partnerships with the stakeholders. That is crucial when one is trying to plan, develop and deliver infrastructure.
However, this is not being treated as critical infrastructure. A proposal to link a wind farm with a 220 kV power line must go through the normal planning process.
Mr. Des Mahon
If it is a small wind farm. A hub is completely different.
Is that then considered critical infrastructure?
Mr. Des Mahon
We have no hub.
If we created a hub, it would be.
Mr. Des Mahon
Senator O'Toole referred to the constant supply of wave energy and the Bellacorick plant. It is defunct but Rolls Royce was granted planning permission to build a 69 MW power station. It did not proceed. Planning permission was also given at the time to the ESB and Bord na Móna for 161 turbines to generate the 500 MW to which Mr. Hynes referred earlier. That was given four years ago——
Has anything happened with it?
Mr. Des Mahon
Nothing has happened since with it. We would like that to happen because that is a factor.
Is the permission for a wind farm?
Mr. Des Mahon
Yes, it lapses after ten years.
Is the obstacle the grid or the finance?
Mr. Des Mahon
The grid is part of the obstacle because we only have 110 kV lines coming into Mayo. Hopefully, in the next few years, we will have 220 kV lines, which are ideal for transporting electricity and that is a big factor. If we were trying to transmit from Belmullet, it would be further afield.
Mr. Ryan will reply to Senator O'Malley's question about tidal tests.
Deputy McManus referred to Corrib gas and lessons and experiences involved. The planning condition laid down by An Bord Pleanála required that there would be community good and a contribution made for transposing peat from site A to site B. That is an important community benefit. The infrastructure is new roads that were necessary to haul the peat. The Corrib gas company has a significant local fund arising from the Cassells report for community development. The fibre optic cable issue is to be resolved and Mr. Hynes will address that.
I referred to the grid upgrade. We do not have 220 kV lines, which are important for us.
Is there a timeframe for them?
Mr. Des Mahon
The indications from EirGrid are that they could be there in between three and six years. The offshore Bill is a matter for the Oireachtas.
Mr. James Ryan
I refer to Deputy Coveney's queries and concerns about links between the Marine Institute and SEI. Mr. Eoin Sweeney heads up the ocean energy development unit in SEI and he was my boss before he went to the SEI. I now fulfil his role in the Marine Institute and, therefore, the links are close.
The big concern regarding the €26 million in funding for the test site is delays caused by licensing issues. We must also obtain a licence for the test site and we must prepare an environmental impact statement, which we are starting now. If that process delays the schedule, our fear is that we will lose the funding on the basis that if one does not spend it, one loses it. The amount may not fully fund the test site, given the plans we have for it, but Open Hydro, an Irish company, raised Stg £40 million in one share issue in London. I hosted representatives of an Australian company, Carnegie Corporation, who visited Ireland last week. They visited the test site in Spiddal, the Marine Institute and Belmullet. It was a marathon day but the company wants to set up a 2 MW test demonstration unit in Ireland with its technology. The company's market capitalisation is €100 million, which means potential significant foreign direct investment if we have the facilities. Against that figure, a sum of €26 million may not be much.
The grid is a serious problem. Even now as I discuss a 5 MW test site in Belmullet, local residents in this remote area are concerned about pylons marching across the landscape. Pylons will not be required for the test site but that demonstrates that with the first whisper, people are concerned about pylons, which is a serious problem nationally.
The Spirit of Ireland idea is great but I am no expert. The advantage is that instead of only being able to use between 30% and 40% of renewable energy sources nationally, we might be able to use 100%, which would be significant if it is viable.
I refer to Senator O'Toole's queries. The 500 MW of ocean energy is a national target and not just for Mayo. The county will produce a fraction of that. Scotland is ahead of us and the issues we have relate to the time it takes to get things organised, resources and so on.
One member stated that perhaps the electricity produced in Connacht should only be used in Connacht. I recall the first meeting we had with the fishermen in Belmullet when we informed them about the test site. We met in the bar afterwards and a guy sidled up to me and asked "Any chance of free electric from the project?" Perhaps locals could be incentivised about pylons across the landscape.
Senator O'Malley asked about licensing problems. We are in a race with Scotland and other countries such as Portugal and even the US. She asked what was needed for a tidal test site. We have the potential sites but we need the time and resources to devote to them. We have taken the decision because of scarce man hours and so on to focus on wave energy first and then try to do tidal energy as quick as we can. It is yet again a resource issue. I agree there does not only have to be one hub. It is a national strategy and many initiatives are ongoing, particularly in Cork, with UCC. As Deputy Coveney mentioned, there is co-operation in Ringaskiddy between the hydraulics and maritime research centre and the coastal marine resource centre, which are seeking millions of euro to upgrade the test tanks and so on. They provide a critical element of the development system that developers must go through. Tank testing happens in Cork, which is yet another hub where more resources are required.
The gentleman I had in from Australia last week was looking at what facilities we are providing. He was going on to other potential test facilities around the world. He was doing a round the world trip and was comparing what we could offer with what other countries are offering. It is a race.
On the question of consultation and what went wrong with the gas, my experience, brief as it is in Belmullet, is that the critical issue is to engage locally at a very early stage. I am in slight trouble at present because a year ago when trying to figure out where the cable would come ashore, we walked across a field without permission and that caused much resentment locally. I believe the same happened with the Shell people at the beginning. People are very sensitive if they do not know what is going on.
Deputy McManus asked where we are in terms of development commercially. With ocean energy we are way behind wind. We are at the stage of testing individual machines and are a long way off testing an entire array. It is reckoned that at least 30 MW is needed to be viable and that means 30 machines. We are a long way from having 30 machines on one site. Therefore, it will not be an immediate answer to the carbon question, it is more foresightedness and trying to get involved in what could be a huge sector in the future.
Mr. Peter Hynes
I will pick up on a few issues and start with the question Deputy McManus posed about the Corrib project and what has been learned from it. To date, at least two books have been published and perhaps a number of pamphlets and a couple of short films have been made. I suspect there will be one or two more before it is finished and maybe when the dust has settled the local authority will get its chance to write the manual on how that type of project might be approached in the future. It is not a simple or easy question. The key of early communication is one lesson that could be taken from it. Without pointing the finger at anyone, that is a lesson that may need to be applied to this endeavour and very quickly at that, because even as we speak people are beginning to worry about the various conflicting rights in terms of an ocean test centre and it is not all onshore. The longer that is left to fester and develop without some light and real information being given, the more fears, rejections and resistance will be stoked up. Part of what we are trying to get across is the sense of urgency.
On the question of urgency, one suggestion is that if we wait until we are absolutely clear on what needs to be done and who needs to do it, we will be looking at other parts of the world coming here to show us what to do. Perhaps setting some goals and setting up a team, as has been suggested in the closing remark, and giving some resources to a team to get stuck in to "suck it and see" is the way to go. That is one of the advantages that the north-west Mayo hub has to offer. Many of the ingredients are there. It would not take an enormous amount of resources to pull it all together.
It is not a question of trying to replicate things that are already set up. One will never try to do third level or fourth level research in Belmullet. That is not what the hub we are talking about would be about. It is about trying to bring what is already on the ground together and provide facilities where companies already interested in doing business could come and easily find the facilities and the capacity to go and test and share the knowledge and the results.
Another question was on the broadband issue. There is a technical difficulty which impedes Bord Gáis Éireann from transferring wayleaves acquired by CPO, part of which have not been confirmed by negotiated agreement subsequently, for public use. There is a remedy through the planning Acts and Mayo and Galway county councils are engaged in trying to bridge a relatively small number of gaps, 13 in Mayo and a smaller number in Galway, so that the ducting that is in place can be opened up for public use. Hopefully, we will know in a matter of weeks or months how successful that will be. It will be referred to An Bord Pleanála in default of agreement locally. After a number of weeks or months we will know how effective that solution will be.
The Spirit of Ireland people have made contact with the county manager and are actively working with our people on the ground. As we speak, the meetings are being set up. Biomass is one of the projects in Mayo. This is not the only activity that is taking place on the ground. There is a key project which would involve using native, as in county-produced, timber on the site of the old Asahi plant and combining it with 20% to 25% peat. It has run into a planning difficulty but it is a project that has much potential and hopefully that planning difficulty might be overcome.
In case the impression goes out that Mayo County Council is the promoter of the Bellacorick wind farm, it is not but is supportive of it and is keen that it moves ahead. The initiative for that project is coming from a partnership between the ESB and Bord na Móna.
That concludes the session. On behalf of the committee I thank Mr. Peter Hynes, Mr. Des Mahon and Mr. James Ryan for a very stimulating and worthwhile presentation and one that will give us much food for thought at the next few meetings. I am sure their comments and those of the members will be picked up by other people also.
I wish to make an observation. As one who can see Turlough Hill from outside my kitchen window where I live, I am old enough to remember when it was being promoted as a miracle taking place in Wicklow. It is interesting to note that it was developed by German technology. The pylons go down the western side, one set in and one set out. There was no issue about them at the time. It just shows how difficult things can become when public opinion goes against one. It was hailed as a miracle at the time.
There are two levels here, one is to harness the ability to be a research area for all the testing, which is probably the easier one, as opposed to harnessing the results and the potential for energy supply offshore because of all the issues, such as landing 30 machines six miles away to land that power where it is needed and also the land grid network. I understood Mr. Hynes to say that the ability to be the licence field test area would take a relatively small amount of resources compared with the big picture at the end of the day. Is that correct?
Mr. Peter Hynes
That is a question for Mr. Ryan but that is the feeling. There is potential and a site is being identified. It is urgent from a number of points of view. If misinformation or resentment builds up it would make life more difficult for everyone. It is a necessary first step for us and a necessary first step nationally, but given that local authorities are not directly involved in wave energy perhaps we should pass it over to the Marine Institute.
Mr. James Ryan
The Deputy may remember what I said at the beginning. There are two strands to the ocean energy project. First, there is the development of the technologies and the potential for a huge export business but also the development of the resource. What I observe on a day-to-day basis is Wavebob developing the technology. In order to sell that technology it has to go into partnership with utilities who in turn want to use it to generate electricity so the things are very closely linked. In the case of Wavebob, Vattenfall is coming in from Sweden. It is the Swedish equivalent of the ESB.They hope to set up big firms in Ireland to harvest the resource, but using technologies developed in Ireland, so they are totally interlinked.
I thank the witnesses. That concludes the meeting.