Green Light for Irish Power Plant

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Full permission has been granted for the construction of an emergency oil-fired power plant in the midlands region of Ireland.

The work will take place on the grounds of the former Shannonbridge Power Station, also known as West Offaly Power Station, in County Offaly, which was closed at the end of 2020. Developer Atlantic Projects Company (APC), part of U.S. company Argan Incorporated (NYSE:AGX) has signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services contract with General Electric's (NYSE:GE) (Boston, Massachusetts) GE Vernova manufacturing arm to build a 264-megawatt (MW) plant. Its goal will be to reinforce the region's power infrastructure and to ensure a reliable electricity supply during critical situations and emergencies. Limited work started earlier this year on the plant, which will cost around US$200 million to construct and which is expected to be up and running early next year.

The Shannonbridge Project is an initiative by Ireland's grid operator EirGrid and the state-owned energy company Electricity Supply Board of Ireland (ESB). Emergency legislation was passed by the government last year to tackle potential electricity supply deficit over the coming winters. EirGrid was informed in 2022 that existing measures to deal with potential power shortages were not sufficient and it would need to rapidly procure roughly 450 MW of additional generation capacity from winter 2023-24 to winter 2025-26. The Shannonbridge plant will have a maximum running time of 500 hours per year, spending most of its time on standby, to run in emergencies and as back-up for an increasing amount of renewable power generation sources. The project has been fast-tracked through the usual planning and regulation process.

"We understand the importance to Ireland of having a robust and reliable national power supply, especially during times of high demand," said Billy Nolan, managing director of APC. "The Shannonbridge Project is expected to serve as a vital resource to ensuring the security of the electricity supply when the country needs it."

The power plant will feature eight GE LM2500XPRESS open-cycle gas turbine units. Industrial Info also is tracking a number of projects at the former Shannonbridge Power Station by owner ESB, including its decommissioning and plans for a 50-MW battery energy storage system (BESS). Shannonbridge is already home to a 100-MW BESS operation, owned and operated by Lumcloon Energy.

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