Crown Estate Launches Leasing Rounds for Northern Ireland Offshore Developments

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources Europe (Galway, Ireland)--The U.K.'s Crown Estate has launched offshore wind and tidal stream leasing rounds to select developers to take forward up to 800 megawatts (MW) of projects in Northern Ireland waters.

The licences issued will be focused on two areas: development of wind power of up 600 MW capacity off the southeast coast of County Down and tidal power of up to 200 MW around Rathlin Island and Torr Head. An offshore wind area off the southeast coast of County Down will be leased to a single development company to deliver up to 600 MW of power generation, while in the Rathlin Island and Torr Head Strategic Area, a single tidal stream area of up to 200 MW capacity will be leased to developers for delivery of multiple projects.

Separate competitive tendering processes will be undertaken for the offshore wind and tidal projects, which will be run in parallel. Tenders will be assessed on the bidder's ability to deliver fully operational projects by 2020. Upon successful conclusion of the leasing rounds, development rights will be awarded in the second half of 2012.

It is anticipated that ESB International (Dublin, Republic of Ireland) and Thetis Energy (Hollywood, Northern Ireland) will apply for tidal licences, as both have been investigating project scopes for tidal power arrays off the coast of Antrim over the past year.

Commenting on the announcement, Northern Ireland Energy Minister Arlene Foster said: "The interest to date in Northern Ireland waters is very encouraging, and this announcement today by The Crown Estate presents the offshore wind and tidal sectors with an excellent opportunity." The Northern Ireland Executive has a target to generate 40% of Northern Ireland's electricity from renewables by 2020. For additional information, see March 11, 2011, article - Northern Ireland Braces Itself for Renewable Energy Wave.

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