Irish Minister welcomes Vattenfall Ocean Energy investment

Vattenfall has selected Ireland to develop commercial scale ocean wave energy electricity generation. Announcing the initiative, Ireland’s Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan, today called it an exciting and very timely initiative to develop a viable, clean and valuable new renewable energy source.

A joint venture, Tonn Energy, has been formed between Vattenfall and Wavebob, an Irish wave farm development firm, to carry out this programme of work. (Tonn means wave in Irish.) The Irish Government, through its Investment and Development Agency, IDA Ireland, is supporting the investment. Minister Ryan, who joined with Harvey Appelbe, Project Director for Tonn Energy, in making the announcement, said “I have articulated my intention that Ireland, with its unparalleled ocean resources, should become a world leader in renewable energy.. […] The participation of a major power utility like Vattenfall, together with the commitment of its Irish partners – which I applaud – in Ireland’s energy programme, marks a further step toward realising the considerable opportunities represented by our ocean wave energy resource.” Tonn Energy’s immediate focus will be Research and Development on a site off the coast of Mayo County, being planned by Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI), which is currently making substantial investments in the necessary infrastructure, and whose involvement is crucial to the success of the project. The test site is one of the key elements of the Government’s Ocean Energy Programme. Tonn Energy is one of the first industry organisations collaborating with SEI on this project. Owen Lewis, CEO of SEI, which was set up by the Government in 2002 as Ireland’s national energy authority to promote and assist the development of sustainable energy, said “The building of significant industry partnerships, exemplified by today’s announcement, is critical to our achieving the objectives of the Ocean Energy Strategy.” Göran Dandanell, Director and Head of Business Development for Vattenfall UK, said “Vattenfall’s long term goal is to halve the emissions per produced unit of energy by 2030, compared to 1990 levels, and to be emission neutral by 2050. We believe each region has its own unique renewable clean energy solution. With its magnificent ocean wave resource and commitment by the Government, Ireland has become a focal point for the development of commercial ocean wave energy. With such a great opportunity to produce clean energy, we are very happy to be a key partner in Ireland’s ocean energy programme.” For further information, please contact: Maria Parent, Media Relations Manager, phone +46 (0)8 739 6550, mobile +46 (0)76 807 6550. From Vattenfall's Press Office, telephone: +46 (0)8-739 50 10.