Roonagh Pier development ‘could be a saviour’ of Mayo islands, says councillor

THE redevelopment of Roonagh Pier to cater for the prospect of wind farms off the Mayo coast will be a game changer for the region, according to one local councillor.

Louisburgh-based Chris Maxwell has called on Mayo County Council to start exploring the prospect of redeveloping Roonagh Pier to cater for the development of wind and other renewable energy sectors that may be developed off the west coast.

The Independent Ireland councillor raised the idea at a recent SPC Economic and Enterprise Development meeting, where he cited the example of an off-shore wind farm planned for off the Connemara coast.

Roonagh, which is located close to Louisburgh, accommodates a daily ferry service to both Clare Island and Inishturk, with extra sailings to Clare Island during the summer months.

Capitalise

Speaking to The Mayo News following the meeting, Cllr Maxwell said that if Roonagh Pier were developed to cater for the renewable energy sector it could transform the communities around Clew Bay.

“We want Roonagh to be developed and hopefully it will happen down the line, but it is strategically placed in Co Mayo to capitalise on any wind energy which is developed off the Mayo coast. You could use our two islands of Inishturk and Clare Island as hubs for servicing the wind farms and it could be a saviour of the two islands.

“If Roonagh was developed right it could be the making of West Mayo. They would have to develop the road from Roonagh to Westport to facilitate this new industry and it would be a game changer for the west. Now is the time to develop Roonagh right,” he said.

Plans are in place to develop an offshore windfarm consisting of 30 turbines located between 5km and 11.5km off the Carna coast in Co Galway that could have the capacity to generate enough electricity to power 350,000 homes.

If the project is given the green light it would cost a projected €1 billion to complete and would have a lifespan of 38 years.

Cllr Maxwell explained that Rosavil harbour in Connemara has the capacity to deal with such a project but there was none in Mayo strategically located to cater for such a windfarm in Mayo.

“If a similar wind farm was developed off Mayo it would be a massive boost to the economy of west Mayo and now is the time to be forward-thinking for the good of west Mayo. Roonagh is strategically located to cater for wind farms and we need to be in a position to capitalise on the potential and ensure west Mayo is not left behind.”