Aerial coastal surveys to begin ahead of offshore wind farm developments

Major floating offshore windfarms planned for the south and west coasts

Paul Daly, Weston Aviation, Sarah Kandrot, Head of Aerial Surveys with Green Rebel Group, pilot Gerry Humphreys, AFTA and Niall MacCarthy, Managing Director at Cork Airport. Picture: Clare Keogh

Large aerial surveys of the Irish coastal waters are to commence as part of the planning process for major marine renewable energy projects including offshore wind farms.

A new €1.5m twin-engine Diamond Air DA42 aircraft will be used to survey thousands of square miles of ocean and will be permanently based at Cork Airport and its arrival has resulted in the creation of 15 direct jobs. There are plans for further job creation over the coming years.

The marine surveys are as a result of a new partnership between Green Rebel Group, Cork Airport, the Atlantic Flight Training Academy (AFTA) and Weston Aviation that aims to establish Cork Harbour as a Green Energy Hub.

Significant numbers of large, offshore floating wind farms are planned for the Irish coast including wind farms at the former Kinsale gas fields. The Green Rebel Group acquired the aircraft to undertake ecological assessments as part of the planning process for future projects.

Each aerial survey flight will generate terabytes of high-quality imagery. In order to store, process and backup the data, Green Rebel Group has built a marine data centre at the Cork Airport Business Park. The data will be used to map the abundance of marine wildlife, which is critical to ensure wind farms are built in the most suitable locations.

CLIMATE & SUSTAINABILITY HUB

Sarah Kandrot, Head of Aerial Surveys with Green Rebel Group said the aircraft will help them to compile information that will ensure offshore wind farms are built in the best locations to protect the ecology of the ocean. "With this aircraft, large sections of the ocean can be surveyed over a shorter period of time than can be achieved with traditional boat-based surveys. Thanks to the ultra high-spec of our camera equipment, our aircraft will be flying at heights that will not cause any disturbance to birds or marine megafauna while at the same time allowing us to collect the highest-quality digital imagery," she said.

Niall MacCarthy, Managing Director at Cork Airport, said Covid-19 has provided them with opportunities to diversify its business into new areas supporting cargo, offshore gas and wind operations. 

"As a key economic enabler for the region, Cork Airport will play a big role in the economic recovery ahead. The addition of the Green Rebel Group aircraft based here at Cork Airport will help create new job opportunities, particularly in the green energy sector."

Mark Casey, CEO of AFTA who will be the specialist operator the aircraft can run on 100% algae-based biofuel in keeping with the overall mission to reduce the dependence on energy from fossil fuels.

CEO of Weston Aviation, Nick Weston said the new venture adds to the rapidly developing offshore operations that both Weston Aviation and Cork Airport offer in the region.