Ros an Mhíl/Rossaveal could become a hub for marine renewable energy projects, if plans by Údarás na Gaeltachta come to fruition.

The board of the Gaeltacht authority has recently approved funding to plan the development of a 30-acre site it owns near the Connemara harbour.

Údarás na Gaeltachta says its study will include a review of the marine renewable energy sector and its potential opportunities, as well as “the requirements and advantages that Ros an Mhíl harbour and Gaeltacht companies have to meet future demands and to benefit from same”.

The organisation says renewable energy will be central to its 2021-2025 strategy, which is set for publication early next year, adding that Ros an Mhíl “has been long identified by Údarás na Gaeltachta as a strategic resource”.

Chair of the board Anna Ní Ghallachair said: “We are happy that Údarás na Gaeltachta will be in a position to undertake this study on the opportunities for renewable energy in the Ros an Mhíl area.

“This is a strategic sector for Údarás, and indeed for the whole country. If we are to halt climate change, we must avail of all opportunities there are to generate clean energy.”

Údarás na Gaeltachta hopes to issue tenders on etenders in the weeks ahead so that work can commence early in the new year.

The news comes after similar moves have been mooted for the Shannon Estuary, while in Cork a new strategic partnership aims to improve communication with the wider marine community as the pace of offshore wind farm development picks up.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD, is today travelling to Ros an Mhíl to see for himself the operation underway to attempt to refloat the large merchant vessel which ran aground in the harbour early this morning.

Minister Coveney is meeting the Harbour Master and will be briefed by the various agencies who are involved in the operation, including the Irish Coast Guard, Galway County Council and the ship's representatives and will be given a full assessment of the current situation and the contingency arrangements being put in place by the agencies involved for the next few days.

The Minister said "I am anxious to see the situation for myself and to express my support to all involved in this multi-agency operation. While this is obviously a very serious and evolving situation, I have full confidence in the Harbour Master and his staff, the Coast Guard and the other agencies involved to do a fully professional job to address the current situation. The purpose of my visit is to reassure all those concerned that this incident is getting the priority it deserves. I am especially concerned to ensure that all appropriate measures are taken to protect the harbour and the local environment and to avoid any pollution during the very challenging efforts to refloat the vessel. "

The current situation and the weather forecast are being carefully monitored by the Coast Guard. Initial investigations, including evidence from divers, indicate no apparent damage to the vessel and no pollution has been reported. Meanwhile, the vessel's owners are in the process of organising tugs to help move it from its current position.