This article is from page 18 of the 2006-06-20 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 18 JPG
IT is expected that plans will be lodged shortly for a plant that will produce an environmentally-friendly fuel in Shannon.
The plan will lessen the county’s dependence on fossil fuels.
A presentation on Clare’s future energy needs has also been told that wave energy off Clare’s coast has the potential to produce 150 per cent of the county’s current electricity needs and that, by 2015, wind-energy could supply almost 50 per cent of those requirements.
According to the manager of the Limerick Clare Energy Agency, Pat Stephens, it is anticipated that the Shannon-based pilot project will produce 100,000 litres of bio-diesel from pure plant oil each year.
Mr Stephens said that the project had the potential to produce 20 to 40 million litres. The company involved is seeking pre-planning discussions with Clare County Council on the issue.
In a presentation to the council’s Special Policy Committee on the Environment, Mr Stephens pointed out that Clare had no tillage land, nor experience in the tillage of rape seed.
Illustrating Clare’s dependence on fossil fuels, Mr Stephens said that Clare’s motorists consume 210 million litres of petrol and diesel each year. Mr Stephens said that 89 per cent of Clare’s energy needs are met by oil.
“We cannot produce oil, but we can produce electricity from wind, water and solar energy. Clare needs 200MW of electricity for its present needs”.
Mr Stephens said that, by 2015, Clare might have wind-farms producing 87MW of power.
He said that the Clare County Development Plan had targeted to have 20MW of wind-power by 2008.
However, he pointed out that 32MW was already connected through wind-farms at Connolly (19.5MW) and Moanmore, Kilrush (12.6 MW).
Mr Stephens said that 22MW was due to be contracted for connection before the end of 2007. Mr Stephens said that it was estimated that a further 33MW would be connected before 2015.
On the potential for developing electricity from the Atlantic ocean off Clare’s coast, Mr Stephens said that the potential annual output from wave energy was between 30 and 300MW. On the energy that could be developed through energy crops and forestry, Mr Stephens said that Clare had 43,700 hectares of land under forestry, which at 14 per cent was five per cent more than the national average.