Shannon dolphins could be endangered by green energy plan, say campaigners

Irish Whale and Dolphin Group calls introduction of speed limits and noise monitoring to protect endangered species

A bottlenose dolphin in the Shannon Estuary: Dolphins use sound to navigate and communicate, and increased traffic in the Shannon Estuary is expected to have a negative impact on their ability to feed and breed. Picture: Kieran Clancy

Government plans to transform the Shannon Estuary into a multi-billion euro hub for renewable energy could lead to the extinction of a unique and protected species of bottle nose dolphin.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar last month unveiled the Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce report, which aims to create 50,000 new green energy jobs and 30GW of green, off-shore wind energy before 2050.