Cost of Cork tidal barrier ‘overestimated by €200m’

The Office of Public Works has overestimated the cost of building a tidal barrier in Cork Harbour by at least €200m, which proves the scheme should not be discounted on cost grounds, a new independent report has claimed.

Experts at the Delft University (TU Delft) in the Netherlands, who were asked to review the OPW’s €450m-€1bn cost estimate of a tidal barrier at Little Island, say they believe it could be built for just under €200m.

They described the tidal barrier proposal as “an interesting and attractive option” which warrants further investigation.