Ireland’s Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan, has announced that Ireland will play host to a new wave energy development project, which he called an exciting and very timely initiative to develop a viable, clean and valuable new renewable energy source.
Vattenfall and Wavebob will conduct the project through a joint venture called Tonn Energy (Tonn means wave in Irish), which will receive the support of the Irish Government’s Investment and Development Agency, IDA Ireland.
Minister Ryan, who joined with Harvey Appelbe, Project Director for Tonn Energy, in making the announcement, said “I have articulated my intention that Ireland, with its unparalleled ocean resources, should become a world leader in renewable energy. The participation of a major power utility like Vattenfall, together with the commitment of its Irish partners – which I applaud – in Ireland’s energy programme, marks a further step toward realising the considerable opportunities represented by our ocean wave energy resource.”
Tonn Energy’s immediate focus will be Research and Development on a site off the coast of Mayo County, being planned by Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI), which is currently making substantial investments in the necessary infrastructure, and whose involvement is crucial to the success of the project. The test site is one of the key elements of the Government’s Ocean Energy Programme and Tonn Energy is one of the first industry organisations collaborating with SEI on this project.
Göran Dandanell, Director and Head of Business Development for Vattenfall UK, said “Vattenfall’s long term goal is to halve the emissions per produced unit of energy by 2030, compared to 1990 levels, and to be emission neutral by 2050. With its magnificent ocean wave resource and commitment by the Government, Ireland has become a focal point for the development of commercial ocean wave energy. With such a great opportunity to produce clean energy, we are very happy to be a key partner in Ireland’s ocean energy programme.”
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