IRELAND’S “GIFT of nature” in wave and tidal energy could create a €10 billion annual export industry, according to a submission to the Government’s proposed integrated marine plan.
However, both Northern Ireland and Scotland are stealing a march in the sector, the Marine Renewables Industry Association has warned.
In its submission to Minister for Marine Simon Coveney, the association says the State needs to advertise the fact that it is “open for business” in ocean energy by taking several key steps to demonstrate commitment.
“The current national target of 500MW of wave and tidal capacity in operation by 2020 has been useful in terms of maintaining focus on the industry,” it says. However, “the time has come . . . to adopt a series of targets which reflect the wider opportunities”.
The association’s submission was prepared in response to an appeal by Mr Coveney last February for contributions towards developing an integrated marine plan for the State.
A number of groups has responded to the appeal, including the Federation of Irish Fishermen, which has forecast that some 100,000 jobs could be created in the marine sector with a €20 billion turnover by 2032, if necessary supports are put in place.
The federation says commercial fishing could contribute about €7 billion of this annually if certain “obstacles” are removed, such as those between foreshore licensing, aquaculture licensing and planning approval.
Scotland has already streamlined its approval system, where Scottish first minister Alex Salmond has made ocean energy a “key economic priority”, the marine association points out in its paper.
Scotland’s political leaders have set “tough targets” for renewables by 2020 to replace the 120,000 jobs in the North Sea’s expiring oil and gas fields, it notes.
As a result, Scotland has attracted substantial investment from major ocean energy players, including ABB, Rolls Royce and the Swedish Vattenfall.
Vattenfall had moved to invest in Ireland’s offshore renewables sector, but pronounced Ireland as “closed for business” after two years, the association notes.
