The visual impact of a €1.5 billion wind farm proposed for the Irish Sea won't be significant, according to the developer of the project.
The turbines, which will be 300 metres in height, will be built ten kilometres off the Dublin and north Wicklow coast.
The companies behind the project hope to build between 45 and 61 turbines.
A public consultation has been opened on the project, but there's been criticism that the turbines will destroy the landscape.
However, Peter Lefroy - director of Dublin Array Project - believes the proposed wind farm will have huge environmental benefits.
Speaking on The Hard Shoulder, he explained: "Ten kilometres is a considerable distance off shore - while the turbines will certainly be visible from the coast, we don't believe the visual impact will be very significant.
"Certainly when you balance it against the economic and environmental benefits that the project can bring... that's a price that's probably worth paying."
Mr Lefroy said that depending on the number of turbines that are finalised, the wind farm at full power could supply electricity to between 500,000 and 800,000 homes.
Artist’s impression of the proposed Dublin Array windfarm. Image: Dublin ArrayHe suggested: "It's a very significant contributor to the decarbonisation of the electricity system, and to decarbonising the whole economy.
"We're at the design stage... and we're preparing an environmental impact assessment as part of our preparation work for our planning application. That means we have to work at all the various elements of the environment in the area - from birds and marine mammals, ecology, the impact on humans, and so on.
"There are a number of sensitive habitats nearby, for which we have to demonstrate we have no impact whatsoever."
Earlier, environmental expert John Gibbons told Newstalk Breakfast that the clean energy the plans would bring to the system would be worth the view out over Dublin Bay.
However, Henry Fingleton - chairperson of Wind Aware Ireland - argued that wind farm costs "drive up energy costs... they make everything more expensive".
He also argued that turbines are "hugely visually intrusive" on the coast, even if it's "much better" to put turbines there rather than on land near communities.
