Galway Bay fm newsroom - The government has this afternoon given approval for a major energy test site in Galway Bay.
Junior Minister Damien English has approved a foreshore lease to the Marine Institute for the installation of a quarter-scale renewable energy test facility.
It'll also include test site infrastructure and specified devices in the bay off the coast of Spiddal.
The test site was established in 2006, and lies on the north side of Galway Bay, one mile east of Spiddal.
The ocean facility aims to determine the effectiveness of wave-energy technologies.
In approving the foreshore lease for the site, the government says the facility is required to meet one of the key initiatives set out in the Integrated Marine Plan for Ireland.
It's hoped it will help to underpin the Government’s stated objective of producing 50 gigawatts from ocean energy by 2050, by providing a test facility where devices can demonstrate their ability to survive open ocean conditions.
The government has stipulated that it is restricting the number of floating wind energy devices to just one at any given time.
Also, specified devices must be tested to the first 10 years of the 35 year lease, after which a new lease application must be made.
The conditions are a result of the significant number of submissions on the project - over 500 submissions and observations were received during a lengthy public consultation process.
