The European Commission has awarded €23 million to ESB's Westwave project.

It is the only project in Ireland to be given funding under the scheme.

ESB WestWave will develop the first wave energy project in Ireland by 2018, generating an initial 5MW of clean renewable electricity from the wave energy resource available off the west coast of Ireland.

The project team has already begun developing the site at Killard, near Doonbeg, Co. Clare and procuring technology designs to deploy the pioneering wave energy generators.

-- Advertisement --

Construction is expected to start in 2016 with ocean power being generated in 2018.

The project will demonstrate Ireland's ability to construct, deploy and operate wave energy converters successfully. I

John McSweeney, Head of Innovation at ESB said: "Ireland's oceans have the potential to provide large quantities of indigenous, renewable energy and reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels. Demonstration projects like ESB WestWave are critical if we are to realise the ultimate aim of progressing to larger commercial scale projects and a low carbon future."

(CD/MH)