A combined objection has been lodged by Irish fishing interests to the North Irish Sea Array offshore wind farm planning application.
The joint venture between Statkraft and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners involves building up to 49 offshore wind turbines off the coasts of Dublin, Meath, and Louth.
The submission has been made to An Bord Pleanála by a number of fishing companies working in the north Irish Sea.
It is also supported by seafood producer organisations including the Irish Fish Producers Organisation, Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation, Irish South and East Fish Producers Organisation, Irish South and West Fishermen’s Producers’ Organisation and the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association.
The companies state they have been operating their licensed fishing businesses in this area since the 1960s, and around 24 vessels work in the area with an average of six crew and a skipper, targeting nephrops mainly.
The submission says they have been “watching the development of this project with significant concern”.
It states they have “communicated concerns to the applicant, who, it claims, has failed to avoid, minimise and mitigate the significant effects this development will have on the industry”.
“Our clients are in support of green and renewable energy and are not against wind energy, once the locations are properly sited and evaluated,”the submission says, but the project is “developer led”.
It says that the location for the project has “not been subject to proper assessment in particular, in terms of the adverse effects from an environmental and commercial fishing perspective”.
The submission lists a number of criteria which should be met before any approval is given.