ESB International has applied to the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government for foreshore exploration licences in the first step towards developing a 5 Megawatt wave energy project off the west coast of Ireland. This will enable the company to conduct marine surveys and resource measurements at two locations – Killard Point, County Clare and the Achill Area, County Mayo in what is called the WestWave project.

The two sites were identified following a detailed selection process based on mapping studies, site testing, environmental considerations and stakeholder feedback. The WestWave project is a collaborative initiative led by ESBI in conjunction with a number of wave energy technology partners which will generate an initial 5MW of electricity from wave energy by 2015.

The foreshore licences will allow ESBI to deploy wave measurement buoys for a minimum period of one year to assess the wave climate at each site. ESBI will also undertake hydrographic surveys at each site to assess the sea-bed conditions.

The proposed works will provide baseline data on wave and current resources at each site; determine design and installation methodologies and inform route selection for cables associated with a wave energy project. The survey work will also provide information for environmental studies of the area. These activities will take place over a 12 to 24 month period following receipt of the foreshore exploration licences.

The findings will be used to identify the best location for the WestWave project. Currently the sites under consideration are; Killard point, Achill Area and the Atlantic Marine Energy Test Site (AMETS) in Belmullet, County. Mayo.

The WestWave project will seek funding under the EU NER300 programme and from domestic grant sources. It will also seek support under the Republic of Ireland REFIT tariff for wave energy. The project is in line with ESBI’s strategy to develop 150MW of electricity from ocean energy by 2020 and the Irish Government’s strategy to generate 500MW from ocean energy in the same period.

In the latest edition of The Engineers Journal, ESBI staff providing engineering consulting services to the Millennium Challenge Account Tanzania (MCA-T) energy project report on their progress. ESB International has been working on the MCA-T energy project since 2008.

Under the terms of the contract, ESBI is providing client engineer and construction supervision and capacity development services in relation to the following key energy project areas:

* Construction of a new 132kV submarine cable from mainland Tanzania to the island of Zanzibar.

* Zanzibar interconnector 132kV overhead line supply and Installation.

* Submarine works – rehabilitation and new-build in six regions of Tanzania, inclusive of the new interconnector substations.

* Extension of rural distribution networks in seven regions in Tanzania.

* Feasibility and technical documentation preparation for bid purposes of a 12 MW hydro power plant on the Malagarasi River.

* A capacity building for the two local utilities TANESCO and ZECO.

ESBI has established a resident team in Tanzania to deliver the four year project with the support of engineering experts based in Dublin. The Engineers Journal profile provides an update on the progress made to date on each of these areas.

ESB International (ESBI) has been selected as part of a consortium to support the establishment of a Clean Energy Network between the European Union and the Gulf Co-operation Council countries. The Network aims to promote greater technological and policy cooperation between the EU and the Gulf countries in the area of clean energy.

Under the three-year framework agreement, ESBI will head up an expert group on Electricity Interconnections and Market Integration. This is one of five expert groups comprising leading academics, professionals and policy makers from the EU and GCC countries that will work together on a range of research and knowledge sharing initiatives. ESBI will play an active role across all five of the expert groups:

The areas covered by the Clean Energy Network include:

* Renewable Energy Sources

* Energy Demand Side Management and Energy Efficiency

* Clean Natural Gas and Related Clean Technologies

* Electricity Interconnections and Market Integration

* Carbon Capture and Storage.

ESBI engineering solutions manager, Billy Byrne comments: “ESBI’s appointment as technical advisor to the EU-GCC Network recognises the company’s expertise in clean energy technology and provides an opportunity to showcase Ireland’s leadership in this area. It will also give us access to a wealth of research, policy ideas and market intelligence from Europe and the Gulf states that will help to further develop our competence in this area.”

The EU-GCC Clean Energy Network is part of a wider initiative by the EU to establish a long term strategic relationship with the GCC countries. The Network will act as a catalyst for practical cooperation between the two regions by facilitating joint initiatives in the areas of research, new technology, demonstration projects and communications, as well as providing associated policy support. ESBI is working on the project as part of a consortium led by the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA).

Fourteen female transition year students from across Dublin had the opportunity to explore the life of a working engineering during the recent third annual Women in Engineering programme hosted by ESBI.

The programme is part of a wider initiative by ESBI to address future skills shortages by promoting engineering as a career choice for young people. The specific focus of this initiative on female students seeks to challenge the perception of engineering as a male-dominated profession and to demonstrate the huge potential for women to pursue careers in this field.

The three-day programme incorporates a mixture of site visits, practical activities and presentations on aspects of engineering. Students also had an opportunity to meet with professional women engineers working in ESB.

During the programme the students visited a gas fired power generating station; met with the engineering team responsible for the development of a nationwide charging infrastructure for electric cars; and got a close look at the management of the country’s electricity network.

ESBI engineering solutions manager, Billy Byrne, says: “Women make up just one in five of new entrants to university engineering, manufacturing and construction degrees. Given the huge growth predicted in international energy demand over the next two decades and the associated demand for engineering skills to support this, it is critical that we promote a higher level of participation by women in engineering and provide support to female students considering a career in this area.”

ESB International (ESBI) has won the Large-Sized Company Category Award at the Engineers Ireland Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Company of the Year Awards 2010. The award recognises ESBI’s work in designing and implementing the Project Delivery Model (PDM) for large scale capital projects and the creation of a permanent project management office to support the ongoing development and improvement of the model.

The awards, now in their seventh year, acknowledge organisations that have demonstrated clear-cut business benefits arising from their use of CPD practices in developing engineering employees to realise innovative projects and initiatives with sixteen companies short-listed over four categories.

“This award highlights the company’s commitment to ensuring that the expertise and capability of our staff is fully utilised to drive continuous improvements across all areas of our business and enhance the services we provide to our international clients,” comments Ollie Brogan, acting executive director of HR for ESB. “By adopting a consistent approach to project management, supported by continuous learning, we have significantly reduced the project risk associated with delivering large scale capital projects and optimised our performance in areas such as safety, cost management, scheduling and post-commissioning operations.”

CAPTION:

Pictured  at the award ceremony are (l-r): Tanaiste and Minister for Education &Skills, Mary Coughlan TD; Jacinta Ryan, project management specialist, project management office, ESBI Engineering; Ollie Brogan, acting executive director group HR, ESB; and John Power, director general, Engineers Ireland.

GT Energy, the Irish company specialising in the harnessing of deep geothermal energy for the production of renewable heat and electricity, has lodged a planning application with South Dublin County Council for a geothermal power plant on a site at Greenogue Business Park in Newcastle, South County Dublin. Geothermal energy is a natural renewable heat generated at the earth’s core that radiates to the surface constantly.

GT Energy’s proposed Eur30 million development will be the first deep geothermal electricity generation plant in Ireland. The new power plant will be capable of generating up to 4 megawatts of electricity using geothermal energy, which will be fed into the national electricity grid. It will deliver base load electricity to the national grid, the equivalent of providing 8,000 homes with its entire electricity needs.

Subject to planning permission, it is expected that drilling of the wells will commence in 2011 and the plant is scheduled to be operational and connected to the national grid in late 2012.

GT Energy recently entered into a Technology Partnership Agreement with ESBI that will see GT Energy generate up to 50 megawatts of electricity using geothermal energy by 2020. ESBI will assist the company with the design of the generating equipment and grid connection design work.

CAPTION:

Pictured are (l to r): Padraig Hanly, managing director of GT Energy, and Gerry White, manager, market and technology developments, ESBI.

Wavebob, the Irish technology company specialising in ocean wave energy conversion, has secured a grant of $2.4 million (€1.83 million) from the US Department of Energy to prepare for a commercial-scale wave energy demonstration project planned for US waters in 2013. Bord Gais will also invest €1.8 million in Wavebob, bringing the total investments to €3.6 million.

The grant forms part of $37 million in marine and hydrokinetic energy grants announced by the US Department. It will be used to further develop Wavebob’s wave energy converter (WEC), which is currently in pre-commercial development. At full scale, the device is capable of producing in excess of one megawatt of energy with average output of over 500kW at sites in the North Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

The ‘Wavebob’ was one of the first WEC’s in the world to successfully produce electricity from ocean swell in 2007. The US Department of Energy grant will be used specifically to develop and test the company’s advanced power take-off device. The project benefits from support and collaboration with Vattenfall, one of Europe’s largest utility companies, and Chevron and Lockheed Martin in the US.

“The Department of Energy’s funding program for marine hydrokinetic technologies is vital to the development of both products and markets, at home and abroad. We are honoured to be selected for this award through a highly competitive process, and to be working with a distinguished team of leaders in maritime technology”, says Derek Robertson, president of Wavebob’s US operations based in Annapolis, Maryland.

Scarce Funding

Andrew Parish, chief executive. of Wavebob.

Traditional sources of finance for technology development have become increasingly scarce as a result of the global economic crisis, with the result that many Irish companies are struggling to survive. On the bright side however, Andrew Parish, chief executive. of Wavebob, believes that the Irish energy utilities are making particularly good use of state assets in recognising the world-class potential of a small Irish indigenous company such as Wavebob. “This investment from Bord Gais builds on a previous technical agreement with ESBI and clearly demonstrates that Irish utilities recognise the ocean energy opportunity and are key agents of Government policy in maximizing the potential to Ireland of this immense natural resource,” he says.

John Mullins, chief executive of Bord Gais.

According to John Mullins, chief executive of Bord Gais, Ireland has one of the best wave resources off its west coast, “It is important that utilities such as Bord Gais foster the development of companies like Wavebob, to enable them to advance their technology. Bord Gais will be actively involved in this development and we will commit our own resources to its advancement,” he adds.

ESB International (ESBI) has entered an agreement with the pioneering tidal energy company Marine Current Turbines (MCT) to develop an initial phase of a 100MW tidal energy project off the Antrim coast in Northern Ireland.

ESBI and MCT will work together to submit a proposal to the forthcoming Marine Leasing Round in Northern Ireland to secure an Agreement for Lease from the Crown Estate to commence formal consenting of the project. If successful, and subject to the achievement of consent, the initial phase of the project, which will use the MCT SeaGen device, could be in operation by 2018. The ESBI/MCT project will assist Northern Ireland in achieving its marine renewable energy targets as outlined in the DETI Strategic Action Plan which calls for 300MW of tidal energy by 2020.

SeaGen is the largest and most powerful tidal stream turbine in the world and the only one that is regularly generating electricity for customers, having been accredited by OFGEM, the UK industry regulator, as an “official” power station. The award-winning 1.2MW turbine has been operating in Northern Ireland’s Strangford Lough since April 2008 and last month (August) achieved another operational milestone by delivering its 2 millionth kWh of power to the grid. Thanks to Strangford being an exceptionally energetic location, SeaGen regularly produces as much electricity as an average off-shore wind turbine of double the rated power. This power is already being sold by ESB’s retail electricity supply business, ESB Independent Energy, to customers in Northern Ireland.

Safeguarding the environment is a key issue and ESBI is preparing an environmental scoping report on the project as an initial step in undertaking a full environmental impact assessment. In order to gain a thorough understanding of the tidal potential, ESBI has also undertaken tidal resource measurements off the Antrim coast over the summer months. This data is currently being analysed and it is planned to undertake further surveys in the coming months.

ESB has a corporate target to develop 150MW of ocean energy in Ireland by 2020 and the proposed tidal project off the Antrim Coast is a key project in delivering this target. “Our aim is to use our experience and technical strength to support the development of a viable ocean energy industry in Ireland and this project is an important step in realising that goal,” says Padraig McManus, chief executive of ESB.

ESB’s retail subsidiary, ESB Independent Energy, already supplies tidal energy to its customers in Northern Ireland through its purchase of the electricity output from the SeaGen tidal facility in Strangford Lough.

By 2020, ESB will be producing one-third of its electricity from renewable generation, delivering over 1,400MW of wind generation (with over 100MW already installed), and exploiting the potential of wave, tidal and biomass resources. ESB Networks will invest Eur11 billion in vital infrastructure to facilitate the development of up to 6,000MW of wind power on the island of Ireland.

Martin Wright, managing director of Marine Current Turbines, comments: “This agreement underlines the success to date of the SeaGen project in Strangford Lough but importantly the real and growing commercial interest in tidal energy. Our agreement with ESBI, which has been a valued shareholder in MCT for 2½years, confirms MCT’s tidal technology at being in the forefront in the race to harness the power of tides.”