RPS has been awarded a contract to examine the feasibility of constructing, in the Irish Sea and Atlantic Coastal areas, an offshore grid linking Northern Ireland, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland. The 18-month study will examine the potential to connect wind, wave and tidal-energy sites located over a large geographical area.
Funded by the EU Commission under Interreg, the project is supported by the governments in the Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The coastal areas of Western Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland have some of the best offshore wind, wave and tidal resources in Europe. However, each region faces common challenges in developing their electricity grid infrastructure and addressing technological, regulatory, trading and financing opportunities to harvest, connect and transport these renewable energy resources to market.
Irish Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan, T.D. said the study was strategically important because a high-voltage connection in the Irish Sea would link-in with the electricity grids on both islands – and in turn would connect to a proposed 10-state, sub-sea electricity grid shared among countries in northwestern Europe.
PJ Rudden of RPS said the feasibility study would develop a business case for the delivery of the trans-boundary grid and would examine aspects such as environment and planning, technology, regulatory requirements, finance and construction. He stated that the study is now well advanced and will report to the three Governments in mid 2011.
PJ Rudden, CEng FICE