GKinetic Hydropower Environmental Impact Assessment

GKinetic Hydropower Environmental Impact Assessment

Providing expertise to support environmental procedures and licence applications for the demonstrator installation of hydrokinetic turbines on the River Shannon in Limerick.

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GKinetic Hydropower Environmental Impact Assessment

GKinetic Hydropower Environmental Impact Assessment

Providing expertise to support environmental procedures and licence applications for the installation of hydrokinetic turbines on the River Shannon in Limerick.

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Read more
GKinetic Hydropower Environmental Impact Assessment

GKinetic Hydropower Environmental Impact Assessment

Providing expertise to assess the environmental impact of installing new hydrokinetic turbines on the River Shannon, designed to help reduce Limerick’s carbon footprint.

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To support the demonstrator installation of hydrokinetic turbines on the River Shannon, we were appointed to deliver a range of environmental impact assessments and the preparation and submission of a Foreshore License. As a result, a successful grant of permission for the development was issued by Limerick City and County Council.

  • Client GKinetic Energy Ltd
  • Location River Shannon, Limerick city
  • Partners AEGIS Archaeology

Environmental expertise to support the adoption of new technology, designed to reduce Limerick's carbon footprint

Limerick City is one of two European ‘Lighthouse’ cities that have been selected under the EU +CityXChange Programme to take part in a climate change pilot programme with an ambition to achieve sustainable urban ecosystems. Supported by funding from the EU's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, the scheme's core objective is to demonstrate how new technology could support European cities in reducing their carbon footprint.

The principal challenge this project had to overcome was the use of new technology and the associated grid connection, which was proposed for installation at Thomond Weir, within the historic core of Limerick City. The River Shannon is a hub for recreational activities, sports clubs and tourist attractions, which meant identifying the optimal location for the turbines, which would convert the kinetic energy generated by the river and estuary flows into renewable energy, would be key to the overall success of the project.

A key challenge was assessing with confidence that the embedded design principles of the turbines avoided possible impacts on biodiversity. To overcome this challenge we conducted complex desktop and field surveys of the aquatic and riparian ecological features of the river. Through collaboration with the project design team, our work to identify any potential environmental and ecological impacts of the turbine allowed the optimal site location to be identified, avoiding significant impacts and meaning the project did not require a full Environmental Impact Assessment.

Early consultation with the client and local communities, businesses and clubs ensured that feedback and concerns could be addressed before the submission of environmental reports. This significantly reduced the risk of project delays as a result of formal submissions and appeals to the planning process.

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Did you know?

As part of this project, we conducted several environmental and ecological impact assessments to inform Appropriate Assessment and the application for a Foreshore License. We also collaborated with AEGIS Archaeology to prepare an Archaeological Impact Assessment.

Supporting the EU +CityXChange Programme

The EU +CityXChange Programme's vision is to enable the co-creation of the future we want to live in. Limerick City is one of two European ‘Lighthouse’ cities that have been selected to take part in a climate change pilot programme that will provide information to the rest of Europe on how to dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of urban areas, helping to revolutionise how energy is produced and used in European cities and towns. Backed by the Limerick City Council and other local partners, this project represents a major step towards utilising the river for energy generation in the city and pioneers a design that showcases the most advanced urban deployment of river turbine technology to date.

Supporting the EU +CityXChange Programme
Supporting the EU +CityXChange Programme
Click here to contact us about this project.
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