Ireland to become world leader in sea technology with €365m project

THE lessons learnt from the Celtic Tiger are to be put to use in an ambitious €365 million research project to revolutionise the maritime economy.

Targeting niche areas of sustainable energy and new food sources, Ireland is taking the first step in creating thousands of jobs in a sector expected to be worth €400m a year by 2025.

The aim is to show the sea has more to offer than increasingly depleted fishing grounds.

Renewables such as wind and wave power alone are expected to grow tenfold over the next two years.

And it is hoped the research programme will lead to a better understanding of the effects of rapid climate change and ways to combat it. Noel Dempsey, Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, said the scheme could revolutionise the maritime economy.

“Sea Change presents a national agenda, comprising science, research, innovation and management, aimed at a complete transformation of the Irish maritime economy,” he said.

The project, Sea Change — A Marine Knowledge, Research and Innovation Strategy for Ireland (2007-2013), aims to have Ireland considered as a centre of excellence in renewable ocean energy research in the next six years.

It claims we could be generating over 100 megawatts from ocean energy devices by 2020, rising to almost 400 megawatts by 2025 — enough to power over 400,000 homes.

Dr Peter Heffernan, chief executive of the Marine Institute, said Ireland is ideally placed to become a world leader in this new and vital technology.

“But we need to act decisively and we need to act now if are to put the foundations in place in time to reap these rewards in years to come,” he said.