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Ireland’s ocean energy capability one step closer to reality as SeaPower survives winter at Sea 

Irish company, Sea Power Ltd., has concluded the winter survivability testing programme of their prototype wave energy device at the Galway Bay Marine and Renewable Energy Test Site proving the concept of electricity generation from wave power at the test site. In the coming week the device will be removed from the test site and brought back into Galway Docks.

Wave energy devices, such as the Seapower Platform, will ultimately harness the extraordinary power of the waves off Ireland's coast. The success of Sea Power at sea has brought Ireland closer to sharing in the future growth, job and low-carbon rewards that ocean energy can bring to coastal communities in the West of Ireland.

Commenting on behalf of SEAI Declan Meally, Head of Emerging Sectors said: "It's very encouraging to see innovative Irish ocean energy technologies progressing through the country's testing facilities. Companies such as Sea Power Ltd could provide the solution for unlocking the huge renewable energy potential that our oceans can provide. While progress will take some years yet before commercial solutions are available, it is through testing and development that Ireland is showing leadership in this sector."

SEAI and the Marine Institute are working together to develop Ireland's ocean energy testing infrastructure which includes tank testing facilities at Lir National Ocean Test Facility in Cork, the consented quarter scale test site in Galway Bay and the planned full scale Atlantic Marine Energy Test Site off the Mayo coast.

The Seapower Platform will be removed from the test site by the 19th March and no further testing will be completed under the current lease. A decommissioning plan for the cessation of current test site activity has been agreed with the licensing authority, details of which are available on www.marine.ie. The Marine Institute has committed to ongoing monitoring of the marine environment within the test site area up to September 2017 to ensure no adverse impacts arise from the cessation of testing activities. For further information contact:

Lisa Fitzpatrick / Sinéad Coyne Marine Institute
087 225 0871 / 087 947 7090
lisa [dot] fitzpatrick [at] marine [dot] ie / sinead [dot] coyne [at] marine [dot] ie
