Killala will provide landfall for fibre-optic link to US and Europe

Killala will provide landfall for fibre-optic link to US and Europe


Áine Ryan

THE north Mayo coastal town of Killala has been chosen as the landfall location for a new submarine fibre-optic communications cable system, called the Emerald Express. As news of the development broke yesterday, local county councillor Jarlath Munnelly said the project would ‘provide world class data and internet connectivity to Ireland, with the potential for spin-off industry for Killala and North Mayo’.
Welcoming the news, Cllr Munnelly said the Emerald Express, which will provide links between New York, western Europe and Iceland, could lead to the creation of many jobs in the area. He confirmed the decision to land the cable in Killala was the result of extensive surveying work along the north Mayo coastline, which determined Killala as the most suitable location.
“In terms of job creation, this infrastructure is expected to be of interest to the data centre industry, which is growing rapidly in Ireland at present. The landing of this cable in Killala, which is the proposed location of a Combined Heat and Power electricity generating project (Mayo Renewable Power) means that the town could become a very good location for data centres, with the availability of a sustainable renewable electricity source and high speed data connection,” he said yesterday.
Continuing, Cllr Munnelly observed that ‘for a very long time, the infrastructure of the west of Ireland was considered to be less than adequate, or certainly not at the same level as the east of the country. This time, a world standard piece of infrastructure is going to be routed through Killala, in north Mayo, which could help to tip the balance in terms of attracting job creation into the future. The development of a power generation station in Killala, using renewables, means that Killala will have high speed data and power generation – and could become a very suitable location for data centres’.
Acknowledging the contribution of Mayo County Manager, Peter Hynes and Taoiseach Enda Kenny, he added: “Credit for this development must go to Peter Hynes, Mayo County Manager and Taoiseach Enda Kenny for their continued support for this project. Without their sustained efforts, this development would not have happened.”
The project, which is being developed by Emerald Networks Holdings Ltd, was first launched in 2011, when Belmullet was identified as the possible landfall site. Killala was chosen after an in-depth analysis of the cable system itself, its potential for the local economy and the suitability of the location regarding unobtrusiveness and minimal environmental impact.