News

Davos and Critical Raw Materials

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The recent Global Economic Forum at Davos saw an interesting session on Trade in Critical Raw Materials. Hosted by EBRD, the discussion was led by EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, WTO President Ngosi Okono-Iweala, EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso and Rio Tinto’s Jacob Stausholm. Issues emphasized included the need to diversify sources of supply  of CRMs ; cooperation agreements between the EU and third countries; the need for added value for host countries from mining and the dangers of trade fragmentation. The long term nature of the mining cycle form exploration to production to restoration was generally recognized, as was the scale of the challenge in finding and developing the greatly increased amount of minerals needed to support decarbonisation.

A fundamental problem facing the process is public understanding and acceptance of the need for increased amounts of CRMs. A legacy of some poorly regulated and damaging operations has led to suspicion and resistance to projects. Industry and governments need to engage with civil society to understand and explain the issues and to provide reliable and credible regulation for the sector.

Examples of good practice are the “Green Metals ” publication by Geological Survey Ireland and studies on public perception by the Irish Centre  for Research in Applied Geosciences.

Frederick Shrimer P Geo joins Geoscience Ireland (GI) Panel of Experts

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Geoscience Ireland (GI) is pleased to welcome Fred Shrimer to its Panel of Independent Experts.

Formerly with Golder Associates, Fred is now in practice in Canada and is  currently a registered P.Geo. in the Canadian Provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, a Licensed Geologist and Licensed Engineering Geologist in the state of Washington, and a Fellow of Geoscience Canada.

His expertise includes evaluation of aggregate resources across multiple sectors  and the effects of pyrite and pyrrohotite on aggregates and concrete in Ireland and in Canada.

GI maintains a register of Independent Experts for reference to its member companies.

Geoscience Ireland (GI) welcomes 3 new members to its Panel of Experts

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Geoscience Ireland (GI) is pleased to welcome three new members to its Panel of Independent Experts.

Dr Graham Andrew was awarded a PhD in Geology by Leicester University. He lectured in West Virginia University and is now a Visiting Research Fellow in the University of Hull.

Dr Sarah Brown was awarded a PhD in Geology by Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. She and Graham Andrew are now based in Co Donegal and provide specialist consultancy services in CCUS and Geothermal energy via a newly created entity Carraignuageoscience.ie

Dr Jonathan Leather was awarded a PhD in Geology by TCD. He worked on hydrocarbons exploration and development for Shell and Tullow Oil before co-founding United Oil & Gas where he was COO and is now an Advisor.

Members of GI’s Panel of Experts provide specialist skills to its member companies and to the wider public.

Kieran O’Driscoll joins Geoscience Ireland (GI) Panel of Experts

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Kieran O’Driscoll is an experienced Oceanographer,  Marine Hydrographer and Modeller. He has a PhD in Oceanography from the University of Southern Mississippi, an MSc in Oceanography from Oregon State University and a BA Mathematics from the City University of New York. Now based in Cork, he has worked with the US Naval Oceanographic Office, lectured and researched in the University of Hamburg and in QUB.   

Hydro Survey Ltd Joins Geoscience Ireland (GI) Network

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Geoscience Ireland (GI) is pleased to welcome Hydro Survey to its network.

Based in Cork, Hydro Survey Ltd is a marine survey company in operation since 1979. It has been involved with most of the major marine developments in Ireland, including the national gas pipeline network, construction of downstream port deep water quays, development of Moneypoint Power Station and the Lee Tunnel Crossing.

The company specialises in conducting accurate surveys of seafloor topography, sedimentary features, and underwater geological structures through a variety of non- intrusive geophysical and  geospatial techniques. Hydro Survey’s services compliment the capabilities of other Priority Group  companies which provide site investigation, drilling  and construction services in Ireland, the UK and in Sweden.  These integrated solutions are essential elements in supplying the nascent Offshore Wind Energy sector in Ireland.

The main contact is  hugh.power@hydrosurvey.com  and see www.hyrdosurvey.com for further details.

Geoscience Ireland (GI) welcomes Geothermal Energy Advances

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Gesocience Ireland (GI) has actively participated in a number of recent events outlining progress in Geothermal Energy. In September, the European Parliament considered the  the topic, hearing presentation for the Commission, EP Rapporteur Professor Z Krasnoderski and speakers from the main political groupings. Widespread cross party support for the sector was evident, with a clear understanding that comprehensive and freely available subsurface data is a prerequisite for de-risking projects and noting the important role of Geological Surveys in this regard. This month, the Parliament’s Energy and Industry Committee (ITRE) further discussed the sector  and heard representations from the European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC) of which GI is a member. A Plenary Session of the Parliament is scheduled for January 2024.

Also during the week 9-13 October, Dublin was host to the National Geothermal Summit organised by Geological Survey Ireland (GSI) which heard of progress in policy and regulation,  district heating projects at Trinity College Dublin and the University of Delft, demonstration projects in Northern Ireland and exploratory drilling by GSI.  EGEC outlined some EU developments, including the Olympic Village in Paris and the adoption of easier permitting arrangements in Germany.  The creation of a Dublin Geothermal Energy Working Group announced at the Summit includes representatives of the Health Sector, Local Authorities, Universities, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and chaired by  GSI.

GI companies participating in the Geothermal Summit were Priority Drilling, ARUP, JB Barry, iCRAG, IE Consulting and GDGEO.

IAEG Delivers Deep Understanding of Minerals

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Founded in 1973, the Irish Association for Economic Geology (IAEG) is a  a relatively small voluntary collective of geoscientists focussed on exploring and understanding the nature of Ireland’s minerals. It has consistently produced an extensive collection of scientific and technical papers on the  genesis and geological characteristics of Irish mineral deposits, adding to our ability to locate and develop new resources.

Ireland enjoys a rich endowment of base metal  deposits with seven  mines developed since the 1960’s; five of these have been zinc and lead mines. IAEG members have been to the forefront in studying and understanding these and other mineral deposits, leading to the discovery of significant new resources e.g. the 27 Million tonne Tara Deep deposit which lies c 3 km form the existing Tara Mines site in Co Meath.

The supply chain for these mines has seen the development of several Irish consultancies and specialist  contractors, many of which have gone on to develop significant business overseas. Examples include Aurum Exploration, BRG, CSA  and SLR which design and develop exploration projects worldwide; QME a mining contractor active in the UK and Portugal and PW Mining active throughout Africa. Others include  ALS which took over OMAC Laboratories; Priority Drilling and Irish Drilling, which along with OMAC were largely the result of the Tynagh Mine in Co Galway.

The development of this supply chain has contributed  significant added value to the mining sector, as demonstrated in the Indecon Review of the Geoscience Ireland (GI) Programme which indicates that GI companies generate  c €400M per annum from overseas projects. In addition, many Irish geoscientists have formed mineral exploration and mining ventures operating in Ireland and overseas and provide many leading researchers for the Irish Centre for Research in Applied Geoscience  iCRAG .

Commenting on the IAEG, GI Director Sean Finlay said;

“The most recent IAEG event in Galway celebrated its 50th  year with a conference on Irish Type Zinc Lead Deposits Around the World and which heard speakers outline how Irish zinc deposits now have recognisable analogues across the globe. The IAEG is a truly remarkable example of a collective dedicated to the provision of excellent geoscientific research. Congratulations to IAEG President Ally Barrow and the Organising Committee on the Conference and its related publication.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rubicon Signs Contract for Germany’s SUEDLink Project

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Project SUEDLINK  Interconnector Project; Onshore Cable Routes
Date

 

 2023-2028
Location

 

 Germany
Client

 

 TransnetBW GmbH
Business Sectors

 

 Energy Infrastructure
Services (Technical Disciplines)

 

 Provide archaeological fieldwork and reporting services for six lots which traverse a 462km corridor running through the states of Lower Saxony, Hesse, Thuringia, Bavaria and Baden Württemberg. Fieldwork will include watching briefs, trial trenching and open area excavations across varied and challenging landscapes.
Project Objectives/ Outcomes

 

 

 The overall project is a c. 700Km underground onshore cable linking Germany’s Baltic Coast to Southern Germany.

 

It is envisaged that a team of approximately 300 archaeologists will be required to deliver the works. Rubicon Heritage Services Ltd has brought together a JV called INFRA Europe JV to deliver the works. The JV comprised Rubicon Archäologie GmbH (new subsidiary of Rubicon Heritage), Network Archaeology (UK), SPAU (Germany), ADW Archäologische Dienstleistungen Wolff (Germany) and Südwest-Archäologie (Germany).

 

Objectives:

·       Identify, record and excavate archaeology which will be impacted by the proposed cable route.

·       Communicate effectively with the client in order to identify and mitigate potential program conflicts

·       Provide high quality reporting in order to keep the client compliant with all statutory authorities

 
Our Role

 
  • The identification of Cultural Heritage Assets within the cable route corridor
  • The identification of any potential impacts to those assets
  • The formulation of mitigation measures for significant adverse effects.
  • Implementation of mitigation strategies
  • Production of high quality reports on the results of all investigations
Geoscience Ireland Contact

 

 Colm.Moloney@rubiconheritage.com>

 

 

 

Geoscience Ireland (GI) Partnership with Development Aid

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Geoscience Ireland has renewed its Partnership Agreement with DevelopmentAid, the leading international provider of information on procurement by Multilateral Development Banks and Aid Agencies.

Many GI member companies already use DevelopmentAid with success in their pursuit of international business. The service provides information on a range of tenders which can be refined for individual sectors and tracks awards of contracts. It also provides information on potential partners, country strategies and procurement guidelines.

GI is pleased to support DevelopmnetAid in its service to GI members.

Visit: https://www.developmentaid.org/

Geoscience Ireland (GI) welcomes Geothermal Policy Statement

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Geoscience Ireland (GI) warmly welcomes the publication by the  Government of Ireland of a Policy Statement on Geothermal Energy for a Circular Economy . Prepared by the Department of Environment Climate and Communications (DECC), the Policy sets out regulatory, environmental  and technical objectives for the sector.

New developments in science and technology mean that there is potential for Geothermal energy to make a significant contribution to the decarbonisation of the energy sector in
Ireland, particularly for heating and cooling buildings.
This policy statement sets out the approach to regulating shallow and deep geothermal systems, including licencing the exploration for and the utilisation of deep sources of
geothermal energy.
The full geothermal potential of Ireland is not yet fully understood because more needs to be known about the temperatures and geology in Ireland’s deep subsurface.
Addressing geological uncertainty is critical to the success of geothermal projects at almost every step of the planning and development process. Publicly available, high-quality subsurface data should be collected and disseminated through the National Geothermal Database, which will contain maps, tools and best practise guidelines. It is vital therefore that a program of geoscientific data gathering is undertaken to encourage geothermal development. In
particular, it is recognised that a programme of deep drilling and deep geophysics research will be required to address the knowledge gaps.
Commenting on the Policy , GI Director Sean Finlay said;
“GI members are well placed to support the development of Geothermal Energy, providing geoscientific and engineering advise and assessments, together with drilling and geophysical surveying services . The recent Policy Statement aligns with ambitions outlined for Geothermal Energy in national Climate Policy  and provides a framework for its orderly development.”

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