Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 March 2012
341 Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources further to Parliamentary Question No. 332 of 13 March 2012, with regard to the Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland ocean energy development programme, if he will provide a breakdown of the where the total allocation of €2.9 million is to be spent in 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15815/12]
View answer342 Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources further to Parliamentary Question No. 332 of 13 March 2012, with regard to the €1.65 million allocated to the prototype development fund in 2012 under the Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland ocean energy development programme for 2012, if the total of €1.65 million is available to applicants in 2012; the amount of money which has already been committed or paid out; when decisions were reached on these allocations; if he will provide a breakdown of the number of companies or agencies which have received funding under this fund; the amount remaining in the fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15816/12]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 341 and 342 together.
The Ocean Energy Development Programme of Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has been allocated €2.9 million in 2012, €2.2 million of which is capital and €0.7 million is current.
€1.6 million capital is allocated to the Ocean Energy Prototype Development Fund; €455,000 capital is allocated to the Galway Bay test site; and €140,000 capital is allocated to preliminary development work on the Mayo test site at Belmullet. €320,000 current is allocated to the Galway Bay test site and €110,000 allocated to the preliminary work on the Mayo test site. The balance is allocated to industry technical support services and participation in EU and International Energy Agency activities in the ocean energy sphere.
The Prototype Development Fund supports research and prototype development by industry with the objective of developing an industry cluster of ocean energy development in Ireland. To date funding has been provided for 32 projects with some of the funding multi-annual in nature. There are 11 projects with funding commitments of €1.3 million in 2012, subject to the individual projects reaching the required project development milestones. €300,000 of the Prototype Development Fund is as yet unallocated in 2012 and SEAI are planning to issue project guidelines and a further call for proposals in the near future.
