RTE
Shell buys 51% stake in Irish floating offshore wind project
Shell bought the stake in the Western Star venture from Irish developer Simply Blue Group for an undisclosed sum.
Floating offshore wind technology is still in its infancy but has the potential to unlock vast power resources in deep waters.
The Western Star Project will be located at least 35km off the west coast of Co Clare and will have a total capacity of 1.35 GW, enough to power 1,145,000 homes in Ireland.
The floating technology proposed for this project will allow the turbines to be located far from shore and in waters over 100m deep.
The company said that by locating the turbines so far offshore, the visual impact of the wind farm for coastal communities is greatly reduced.
Locating the turbines further out to sea also places the farm in an area of higher wind energy potential.
The project will help to reduce Ireland’s dependence on foreign fossil fuel imports, where a large portion of the country’s current electricity production comes from.
The project, which will be developed by Simply Blue Group and Shell floating wind experts, will be developed in two phases of 300 to 450 megawatt and 700 to 900 megawatt.
This is equivalent to powering over one million Irish homes, Shell said.
Today’s deal follows a similar agreement earlier this year to jointly develop the Emerald floating wind project off the south coast of Ireland.
Hugh Kelly, co-founder and chief commercial director of Simply Blue Group, said there is tremendous wind potential off the west coast of Ireland and Simply Blue Group are delighted to partner once again with Shell to jointly develop the Western Star project.
“The project will utilise floating offshore wind technology to produce zero-carbon electricity and will greatly help Ireland progress towards a green energy future with domestically sourced sustainable electricity delivering both environmental and economic benefits to the entire country,” Mr Kelly said.
Mr Kelly also said that the assembly, installation and deployment of the deep sea turbines could stimulate hundreds of high-quality jobs in the local supply chain.
Long-term operations and maintenance of the turbines will also require local skills and services to support this industry, he added.
Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
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A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
