Dr. Peter Heffernan:

I will address the question about Galway Bay and the 35-year lease and come back and close out with a second questioner. On the Galway Bay application for the renewable energy test site, our role is as a partner to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland in the operation of the test site, and that led to our application for the lease and the renewal of the lease. It has been applied for on a 35-year basis. The 35-year term is explained on the basis that the overarching plan nationally, the Ocean Energy Development Plan, is couched in a 35-year timeframe. The infrastructure that was invested in by Science Foundation Ireland and the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment in creating the test tank facility in the centre of excellence in Cork is predicated on the 35-year basis. The goal is to give certainty to potential device prototype developers that there is integrated full-scale testing capacity in Ireland. Senator Mulherin asked about how we compete to attract technology developers. It will help to develop technology solutions to help Ireland avail of the fantastic scale of renewable resources at and off our shores, both in the water and the air associated with the seas. That is the rationale for the 35-year term. It aligns with the overarching Government plan.

My colleague, Ms Caroline Bocquel, will quickly explain the SmartBay relationship.