The town of Ballycastle in Northern Ireland should work on positioning itself as a tidal energy research and development hub, the newly elected Moyle Council Chairman Dónal Cunningham stated.
“We need to capitalise on our unique position and natural resources to create jobs and opportunities for the area,” Mr. Cunningham is quoted by Ballymoney Times as saying.
The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) Councillor voiced his support for the tidal energy sector two years ago , when he welcomed two tidal energy proposals for the area.
Namely, Bord Gais and OpenHydro plan to develop a tidal energy project at Torr Head off the north coast of Antrim.
The other project is proposed by DP Energy and DEME and comprises a tidal stream energy system off Fair Head, 5 km east of Ballycastle in County Antrim. The developers recently disclosed more details on the project, but they have not yet decided which technology will they use.
“A lot needs to be done to strengthen our capabilities, Council, DETI, Invest NI all need to work together so that the area can support the growth and the successful delivery of the tidal energy projects and maximise the possibility of jobs which our geographical location should provide us,” Cunningham concluded.