Galway is powering its way back to the future with a new plan to harness the city’s canals for the production of electricity.

Lough Corrib Navigation Trust voted at its December meeting to advance a waterway concept plan to develop hydropower from city canals.

The hydropower pilot project will look to create a green electricity EV (electric vehicle) charging point in the city powered by water.

This will be the first phase and a feasibility study will be carried out before March 2025.

It’s understood a second pilot project will be rolled out after that to power a public building by full renewable energy.

This innovative plan – to return Galway to harness the power of waterways like it did over 100 years ago – was included in Galway City Council’s Climate Action Plan 2024-2029.

Mark Lohan, a former city councillor, and member of the current Lough Corrib Navigation Trustees, said the pilot would be funded by the European Union, with €1.8m already secured.

It will help to move Galway towards a sustainable, carbon neutral city by 2050, he said.

“The first step will be community engagement and a comprehensive site survey. Then it will move to a hydro system design and manufacture of the pilot system,” Mr Lohan said.

He said there would be stakeholder workshops early in the New Year, and it is hoped the charging point could be up and running in 2026.

“In 2019, I first raised this prospect in the City Council, and I am thrilled and excited to now be a part of it reaching the stage of implementation,” said Mr Lohan.

“Climate change remains a huge crisis for our planet and these first courageous steps to moving us to reducing our carbon output in a sensible and reasonable way is very promising.

“The solution to climate crisis is the responsibility of us all and being proactive in finding solutions is a priority.

“The professional officers and engineers in the City Council have been to the forefront in this initiative.

“We now need to complete the feasibility study and engage in the community consultation so that we protect the biodiversity of our canals while benefiting from the green power they can generate once again as they did over 100 years ago,” he added.

Galway City Council and University of Galway are partners in the project.