ISLES project

{{Short description|Study on renewable energy potential off the coasts of western Scotland and Ireland}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

ISLES (Irish–Scottish Links on Energy Study) was a two phase project that ran from 2010–2015. Its purpose was to facilitate the development of offshore renewable resources, such as wind, wave and tidal energy, and renewable energy trade between Scotland, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It assessed the feasibility, and developed a conception, of creating an integrated offshore transmission network connecting renewable energy project sites located off the west coast of Scotland, north and east coasts of Northern Ireland, west coast of Ireland and in the Irish Sea with onshore grids.

{{cite book

| url= https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmenergy/1040/1040.pdf

| title= A European Supergrid. Seventh Report of Session 2010–12

| publisher = Energy and Climate Change Select Committee, House of Commons of the United Kingdom

| volume = I

| pages = 44–45

| date=2011-09-07

| accessdate=2011-11-10}}

{{cite conference

|url = http://www.louthcoco.ie/en/Services/Business_Support_Unit/Bob_Hanna_Isles_Presentation.pdf

|first = Bob

|last = Hanna

|title = The ISLES Project

|conference = Louth Economic Forum Conference

|publisher = Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

|date = 2011-06-09

|accessdate = 2011-11-10

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111127030546/http://www.louthcoco.ie/en/Services/Business_Support_Unit/Bob_Hanna_Isles_Presentation.pdf

|archive-date = 2011-11-27

|url-status = dead

}}

{{cite news |last=Ross |first=David |date=2008-07-08 |title=Scotland and Ireland to launch joint renewable energy study |url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/scotland-and-ireland-to-launch-joint-renewable-energy-study-1.847159 |accessdate=2011-11-10 |newspaper=The Herald}}

{{cite news

| url= http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0309/1224265879517.html

| title= Study into feasibility of Irish Sea electricity grid

| newspaper = The Irish Times

| date=2010-03-09

| accessdate=2011-11-10

| id = {{subscription required}}}}

It was a joint project between the governments of Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland, funded primarily by the European Union's INTERREG IVA Programme.

{{cite press release

| url= http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2010/01/08101417

| title= Grid links across the Irish Sea

| publisher = Government of Scotland

| date=2010-01-08

| accessdate=2011-11-10}}

Funding from INTERREG was approximately €2 million and was managed by the Special EU Programmes Body .{{cite press release

| url= http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/Press+Releases/2009/Ireland+and+eight+European+countries+agree+on+North+Seas+Wind+Project.htm

| title= Ireland and eight European countries agree on North Seas Wind Project

| publisher= Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

| date= 2007-12-07

| accessdate= 2011-11-10

| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111005023435/http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/Press+Releases/2009/Ireland+and+eight+European+countries+agree+on+North+Seas+Wind+Project.htm

| archive-date= 2011-10-05

| url-status= dead

}} The project was also awarded Project of Common Interest status by the European Union.

ISLES

The first phase of the ISLES project was led by the Scottish Government and announced by Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism of Scotland Jim Mather and Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources of Ireland Eamon Ryan in Glasgow on 7 June 2008. The contract to undertake the feasibility study was awarded to a consortium led by RPS Group.[https://www.rpsgroup.com/projects/irish-scottish-links-on-energy-study-isles/ 'IRISH SCOTTISH LINKS ON ENERGY STUDY (ISLES)' RPS Group] Its final reports were delivered to the inter-governmental steering group in late-2011.{{cite news

| url=http://insideireland.ie/2010/01/08/archive2464-2524/

| title=RPS to study Irish-Scottish electricity grid

| work=Insideireland.ie

| date=2010-01-08

| accessdate=2011-11-10

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120509214732/http://insideireland.ie/2010/01/08/archive2464-2524/

| archive-date=2012-05-09

| url-status=dead

}}

{{cite press release

| url= http://www.northernireland.gov.uk/news/news-deti/news-deti-january-2010/news-deti-080110-off-shore-electricity.htm

| title= Off-shore electricity grid project moves into new phase

| publisher = The Northern Ireland Executive

| date=2010-01-08

| accessdate=2011-11-10}}

The findings were disseminated at a conference in Glasgow on 23 November 2011. According to these findings, there are no technological barriers to ISLES and the project is feasible, although landfall points throughout the three jurisdictions have significant constraints due to environmental issues. It would cost about £1 million per each MW of installed capacity.

{{cite conference

| url= http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/921/0123560.pdf

| title= ISLES Feasibility Study and Main Findings

| first = P. J. | last = Rudden

| publisher = Government of Scotland

| conference = National Economic Forum and ISLES Conference

| location = Glasgow

| date = 2011-11-23

| accessdate=2012-05-27}}

[https://www.mondaq.com/ireland/energy-law/175086/irish-scottish-links-on-energy-study-isles 'Irish-Scottish Links on Energy Study (ISLES)' Mondaq][https://www.energylivenews.com/2015/09/21/scotland-ireland-power-link-proposals-launched/ 'Scotland-Ireland power link proposals launched' Energy Live News'] It concluded that a second project was needed to achieve further progress toward implementation.

ISLES 2: Towards Implementation

Phase 2 of the project was announced by Mather's successor Fergus Ewing in 2013. Once again it was a partnership between project partners the Scottish Government, Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment in Northern Ireland, and the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in Ireland. Match funding was secured from the European Union's INTERREG IVA Programme overseen by the Special EU Programmes Body. A consortium of consultants worked together on three workstreams: a spatial plan and sustainability appraisal; a network regulation and market alignment study; and a business plan.{{Cite web |date=21 September 2015 |title=New proposals for cross-border co-operation on energy |url=https://www.wired-gov.net/wg/news.nsf/articles/New+proposals+for+crossborder+cooperation+on+energy+21092015080500?open |access-date=5 April 2025 |website=wired-gov.net}}{{Cite web |date=14 December 2014 |title=ISLES II |url=http://www.islesproject.eu/isles-ii/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141214152506/http://www.islesproject.eu/isles-ii/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 December 2014 |website=web.archive.org}} A suite of reports{{Cite web |date=8 July 2016 |title=Isles II -Publications |url=http://www.islesproject.eu/isles-ii/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160708141716/http://www.islesproject.eu/isles-ii/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 July 2016 |website=web.archive.org}} was unveiled by Chris Stark{{Cite web |date=1 June 2015 |title=ISLES comes to ALL Energy 2015 – Glasgow |url=http://www.islesproject.eu/isles-all-energy-2015-2/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906205420/http://www.islesproject.eu/isles-all-energy-2015-2/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 September 2015 |website=web.archive.org}}{{Cite web |date=1 June 2015 |title=ISLES comes to ALL Energy 2015 – Glasgow |url=http://www.islesproject.eu/isles-all-energy-2015-2/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906205420/http://www.islesproject.eu/isles-all-energy-2015-2/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2015-09-06 |access-date=5 April 2025 |website=web.archive.org}} at the All Energy Conference in Glasgow on 6 May 2015 and formally published on 18 September 2015.{{Cite web |date=18 September 2015 |title=ISLES study reaches conclusion |url=http://www.islesproject.eu/final-reports-published-and-available-to-download/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160708144058/http://www.islesproject.eu/final-reports-published-and-available-to-download/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2016-07-08 |access-date=5 April 2025 |website=web.archive.org}}