The Corrib River, as it flows from the Salmon Weir to the sea, has the potential power to generate enough electricity to power and meet the needs of NUI, Galway and UHG.
This is the view of Fine Gael Galway West TD Padraic McCormack who believes an investigation into this source of electricity should be carried out.
According to Dep McCormack, between the 1950s and 1970s there were a number of mills generating their own electricity on that stretch of water. McDonaghs at the Fish Market generated electricity up to the 1970s and earlier there was Palmers Mills, Lydon’s Woollen Mills and Newtownsmyth.
He points out that if it was possible for these businesses to generate electricity back then, the advances in turbine control technology since means the potential is still there to generate electricity which could possibly produce enough power to run NUI, Galway and UHG.
Fine Gael is calling for an €11 billion investment in key technologies and network infrastructures in the period 2010-2013 to reposition Ireland as the most competitive and sustainable economy in Europe within the next decade.
Fine Gael spokesperson on energy Simon Coveney is to enter into discussions with mechanical and bio-engineers at NUIG to explore the possibility of electricity generation from the Galway waterways.
“In Ireland the tidal turbine near the mouth of Strangford Lough has been installed producing 1.2MW, the highest level of power produced by a tidal system anywhere in the world,” said Dep McCormack. “1.2MW of electricity would generate enough electricity for about 1,200 houses or two big institutions like NUIG or UHG.”
