€30m marine research centre gets green light

IRELAND is set to become one of the world's leading players in ocean research with the opening of a €30 million marine centre.

More than 140 staff will be employed at the National Marine Resource Centre in Galway, monitoring a section of ocean 10 times the size of the island.

Planners have given the Irish Marine Institute the go-ahead for the centre, which could also see developments towards harvesting wave energy to create electricity for Ireland.