ORPC Ireland to conduct tidal studies for County Donegal

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has awarded funding to ORPC Ireland for conducting a feasibility assessment to identify tidal energy development opportunities in the coastal waters of County Donegal, Ireland.

The project will review existing resource data, evaluate grid accessibility, identify existing marine users and sensitive environmental areas, assess supply chain viability, and conduct community engagement activities, ORPC’s press release reads.

ORPC Ireland will use the same phased approach to project development as ORPC successfully demonstrated with its Maine Tidal Energy Project, and its RivGen Power System Project in Igiugig, Alaska.

Through its Ocean Energy Prototype Development Fund, SEAI seeks to stimulate the development and deployment of ocean energy devices and systems.

Brian Motherway, SEAI’s CEO, said: “SEAI is committed to facilitating the development of new technologies and projects that will harness Ireland’s rich ocean energy resource. County Donegal has been identified as a region of high potential for tidal energy in Ireland’s Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan. We are delighted to support ORPC Ireland in conducting this feasibility study in partnership with Donegal County Council to identify development opportunities and form a critical first step in realizing this potential.”

Located in the North West region of Ireland, County Donegal is home to Killybegs, the largest fishing port in Ireland, and boasts more mainland coastline than any other county in the country.

Chris Sauer, ORPC’s President and CEO, said: “County Donegal’s strong maritime heritage, ocean energy resources, and the Port of Killybegs draw striking similarities to Washington County, Maine, home to ORPC’s Maine operations. We appreciate SEAI’s commitment to advancing the ocean energy industry in Ireland and the dedication of our partners in County Donegal to make positive impacts in the region.”

To remind, ORPC established ORPC Ireland in May 2015, based at CoLab Business Centre at Letterkenny Institute of Technology.

Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC) is a US-based in-river, tidal and deep-water ocean current power generation systems and projects developer.

SEAI is Ireland’s national energy agency, with a mission to play a leading role in transforming Ireland into a society based on sustainable energy structures, technologies and practices.

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Images: ORPC/TidGen Power System