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Released June 16, 2015 | GALWAY, IRELAND
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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland) - Work is set to get underway on Ireland's largest biomass power plant in County Mayo following the successful closing of final financing for the project.
Developer Mayo Renewable Power Limited (MRP) (Mayo, Ireland) announced that full construction will begin at the 42.5-megawatt (MW) Power Plant and Biomass Fuel Processing Facility, which will be located on the site of a former Asahi chemical plant in Killala.
Costing 180 million euro ($203 million) the plant qualifies for Ireland's Renewable Energy Feed-In Tariff (REFIT) programme, which guarantees Mayo Renewable Power a minimum price for the electricity they sell through December 31, 2030. The project is supported by an American investment company based in New Jersey, Weichert Enterprise, along with a number of banks. The plant will be built by John Sisk & Son Limited, creating 350 jobs during construction. It will enter commercial operation in mid- 2017, the company said, and employ 30 people full-time.
The plant was originally expected to come online sometime this year but the project has been beset by delays over the past decade.
"This financing marks another important milestone in the construction of MRP's power's plant and facilities which will provide renewable, sustainable and innovative energy to Ireland's electricity grid," commented Gerald C. Crotty, President of Weichert Enterprise and Chairman of Mayo Renewable Power.
Ireland's Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, welcomed the announcement: "This investment is a vote of confidence in the Irish economy and is part of the recovery that is beginning to spread to every region of Ireland. It will be the largest biomass power station to have been built in this country to date and will contribute to reducing our greenhouse emissions. The overarching objective of the Government's energy policy is to ensure secure and sustainable supplies of competitively priced energy to all consumers. Bioenergy has a critical role to play in meeting our target to ensure 16% of our energy requirements come from renewable sources by 2020. In order to meet this target, Ireland is committed to meeting 40% of electricity demand, 12% of its heat, and 10% of its transport, from renewable sources. The new Mayo plant will help us meet our targets."
The plant will burn virgin biomass such as Willow, Spruce, Miscanthus and Mesquite, and the 'waste heat' from the station will be used in an adjoining fuel storage and processing plant to refine the biomass for commercial use. Fuel will be supplied from a variety of sources including locally grown willow, spruce from local forestry and forestry thinnings along with imported supplies from the U.S..
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. To contact an office in your area, visit the Industrial Info "Contact Us" page.
Developer Mayo Renewable Power Limited (MRP) (Mayo, Ireland) announced that full construction will begin at the 42.5-megawatt (MW) Power Plant and Biomass Fuel Processing Facility, which will be located on the site of a former Asahi chemical plant in Killala.
Costing 180 million euro ($203 million) the plant qualifies for Ireland's Renewable Energy Feed-In Tariff (REFIT) programme, which guarantees Mayo Renewable Power a minimum price for the electricity they sell through December 31, 2030. The project is supported by an American investment company based in New Jersey, Weichert Enterprise, along with a number of banks. The plant will be built by John Sisk & Son Limited, creating 350 jobs during construction. It will enter commercial operation in mid- 2017, the company said, and employ 30 people full-time.
The plant was originally expected to come online sometime this year but the project has been beset by delays over the past decade.
"This financing marks another important milestone in the construction of MRP's power's plant and facilities which will provide renewable, sustainable and innovative energy to Ireland's electricity grid," commented Gerald C. Crotty, President of Weichert Enterprise and Chairman of Mayo Renewable Power.
Ireland's Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, welcomed the announcement: "This investment is a vote of confidence in the Irish economy and is part of the recovery that is beginning to spread to every region of Ireland. It will be the largest biomass power station to have been built in this country to date and will contribute to reducing our greenhouse emissions. The overarching objective of the Government's energy policy is to ensure secure and sustainable supplies of competitively priced energy to all consumers. Bioenergy has a critical role to play in meeting our target to ensure 16% of our energy requirements come from renewable sources by 2020. In order to meet this target, Ireland is committed to meeting 40% of electricity demand, 12% of its heat, and 10% of its transport, from renewable sources. The new Mayo plant will help us meet our targets."
The plant will burn virgin biomass such as Willow, Spruce, Miscanthus and Mesquite, and the 'waste heat' from the station will be used in an adjoining fuel storage and processing plant to refine the biomass for commercial use. Fuel will be supplied from a variety of sources including locally grown willow, spruce from local forestry and forestry thinnings along with imported supplies from the U.S..
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. To contact an office in your area, visit the Industrial Info "Contact Us" page.
