Simply Blue Group, a leading blue economy developer headquartered in Cork, has launched a Public Consultation for the Western Star Floating Wind Project, a proposed floating windfarm situated at least 35km off the West Coast of Clare and in waters 90 to 125m deep.
An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) scoping report describes the key elements of the Western Star Floating Wind project, the baseline conditions, and sensitivities of the environment likely to be affected, and the studies and assessments proposed. It provides an outline of the proposed approach and content of the Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR).
The scoping report provides an opportunity for stakeholder engagement, with feedback sought from the public to further inform the content and scope of the EIAR. The EIA scoping report is now available for virtual public consultation and can be accessed here SimplyBlue – Virtual Exhibition (3dwtech.co.uk)
The Western Star Public Consultation will take place:
- Tuesday 28th March from 2pm-8pm at “The Foyer” Temple Gate Hotel, The Square, Ennis, County Clare. V95 HOXK
- On Wednesday 29th March from 2pm-8pm at Merchants Quay, Business Quarter, Frances Street, Kilrush, County Clare. V15 FN53
- On Monday 24th of April from 2-8pm in the Ballybunion Community Centre, 5 Lartigue Road, Ballybunion. V31TV25
A live virtual exhibition will run from Friday 24th March to Friday 26th May 2023 SimplyBlue – Virtual Exhibition (3dwtech.co.uk)
The Western Star Floating Wind project is being developed in response to Irish Government policy and commitment to deploy up to 7GW of offshore wind projects in Ireland by 2030. It will harness the tremendous wind potential off the Atlantic Ocean to help create a clean, sustainable future for everyone, potentially creating enough energy to power over 1 million homes.
The innovative floating technology proposed for this project will allow the turbines to be located far from shore and in water depths that are suitable for the technology.
Val Cummins, Operations and Project Director at Simply Blue Group said “The Western Star Floating Wind Project will be sustainable and transformative for the west coast and will enable local communities to benefit from the opportunities in the blue economy, leading to a brighter future for generations to come. We are committed to engaging with all our stakeholders and communities at each stage of the project and we would encourage them to participate in the consultation of the scoping report.”