Galway City Council says it has become the first local authority in Ireland to receive funding under the European Urban Initiative (EUI) – Innovative Actions programme for its project to revitalise historic canals.
The council has been awarded €3,363,213 through the European Regional Development Fund to lead a project called WATERWAY, which will “ensure the canals become a source of clean energy, education, and public engagement”, it says.
WATERWAY will see the installation of three small-scale hydropower turbines at selected sites, bringing the canals that once powered the city’s mills and industries back to life, it says.
The proposed locations currently being reviewed are the Mill Street Canal, Terryland Waterworks and the Mclaughlin Building, Nuns Island.
The locations will undergo “detailed design to finalise appropriate design considerations”, it says.
Some of the locations being considered already contain existing infrastructure such as turbines, sluices and culverts, allowing for modern energy production with minimal disruption to sites.
“These turbines will harness the natural flow of the canals to generate electricity for public use, including powering buildings and EV charging, while also delivering clean, renewable energy back to the electrical grid,” the council says.
The total project value is estimated to be €4.2 million and is “fully aligned with the Galway City Climate Action Plan and Ireland’s national targets under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Acts”, it says.
The project has five partners:
* Galway City Council – Project lead, site development, public engagement, and strategic delivery.
*University of Galway – Creation of new training modules and upskilling programmes in green energy technologies aimed at students, early-career professionals, and local residents interested in sustainability and climate innovation.
*Quirke Renewable Systems Ltd – Technical lead on feasibility studies and delivery of the initial hydropower pilot installation.
*Galway City Community Network (GCCN) – Leading community outreach, workshops, and inclusion of local voices.
*Northern and Western Regional Assembly (NWRA) – Coordination of replication activities, policy alignment, and dissemination.
The project has already proved controversial. Billy Smyth who is part of the Galway City Salmon Angling Association, called it a “fish mincer”.
Galway City Council says “the micro hydropower initiative is safe for wildlife above and below the water”.
“This project involves the modernisation of existing systems and adheres to the published guidelines in Ireland and the EU,” it says.
“ Authorised smolt screens are used to prevent any fish from entering, who can pass downstream as normal through a free-flowing passage, avoiding any disruption to fish migration patterns. No equipment will be installed in the main Corrib river, and the project will strictly focus on the city's purpose-built existing industrial canals,” it says.
“The WATERWAY project team has completed Environmental Impact Assessment screening, and also Appropriate Assessment screening for each location,” it says.
“The screening process has been undertaken by leading independent expert Irish environmental consultants,” and “confirms the project is very low risk and will not have adverse effects on the environment”.
“The initiative is delivered in full compliance with Irish planning regulations and EU directives,” it says.
Last year, The Irish Independent and The Irish Examiner reported that one of the partners in the project involves a business which had been in dispute with the HSE over faulty ventilators.
Quirke Renewable Systems is a sister company of EcoHydro, which installed a new hydro power generator in the River Liffey at the K Club.
It later emerged that the installation did not have planning permission, leading to its decommissioning.
Cllr Shane Forde told The Irish Independent: “We need to make sure that if we’re getting EU funding that we have covered all our bases, we need to make sure that all the boxes were ticked.”
Asked to comment on these concerns, Galway City Council said it “does not have details of any contract agreements for entities and projects outside of its remit and cannot comment on same”.
Read The Irish Independent here
