Consortium developing floating wind/wave scheme offshore Ireland

Simply Blue Energy is planning a floating wind farm and wave energy conversion array offshore western Ireland.

The Western Star programme comprises Western Star Wind ‘Project Ilen’, a 1.1-GW floating wind development at least 35 km (21.7 miles) offshore County Clare; and Western Star Wave ‘Project Saoirse’, a pre-commercial demonstration wave energy conversion facility 4-6 km (2.5-3.7 miles) offshore County Clare, initially with 5 MW of capacity.

Simply Blue Group is working with Stockholm-based CorPower Ocean and EIT Innoenergy to develop the Saoirse project.

Sam Roch-Perks, the company’s managing director, said: “We believe that the combination of the two technologies will deliver significant system benefits to help economies move to net zero.”

Preliminary front-end engineering design and offshore survey activities have started, in parallel with stakeholder engagement, with a focus on using the Irish supply chain for the development.

A foreshore site investigation licence application was lodged last December.

Source: Offshore Magazine