Plan to generate over 260MW of electricity from Shannonbridge
Electricity could once again be generated at Shannonbridge periodically over the next five years under emergency plans to counter potential energy shortages.
The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan last week referred a proposal for a new 264MW facility in Shannonbridge for consideration by An Bord Pleanála.
The procedure is stipulated in emergency legislation, passed in the Oireachtas late last year, designed to address potential electricity supply deficit over the coming winters.
The proposed project in Shannonbridge is for eight open-cycle gas turbine units, fuelled by diesel oil, which will collectively have the capacity to generate some 264 MW of temporary emergency electricity on 9.22 hectares of land within the existing West Offaly Power station site boundary at Shannonbridge.
The proposal is for an emergency plant, with a maximum running time of 500 hours per annum, spending the majority of time on standby, and which will be run to meet emergency of supply needs while complementing renewable power generation sources.
The emergency legislation means the proposal will not be subject to the normal planning process or environmental assessment requirements. Instead, it is being referred to An Bord Pleanála to assess whether it meets the objectives of the European Environmental Impact Assessment Directive, whether there is a need for a derogation and if such derogation should be granted.
On receipt of the planning board's assessment, the Minister will have the final decision.
The application to An Bord Pleanála specifies that the project would be independent of an approved planning application by the ESB to demolish the existing power station and develop battery storage systems at Shannonbridge.
The plan is for the facility to be developed by the coming winter, along with another 150MW project in Tarbert, Co. Kerry.
This temporary generation capacity will be in place until 2027 at the earliest, with provision in the legislation to extend to 2028.
The application comes following an assessment by the Commission for for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) that ongoing measures to deal with the potential shortage of electricity supply would not be sufficient.
As a result, in June last, the CRU directed EirGrid to procure, as quickly as possible, some 450MW of additional generation capacity from winter 2023-24 to winter 2025-26 to ensure a secure electricity supply.
A decision on the application to An Bord Pleanála under Section 4 of the Development (Emergency Electricity Generation) Act 2022, is due by March 23rd.
The Shannonbridge project will also include eight 30-metre tall steel exhaust stacks and two 110kV generator step-up transformers
The CRU has indicated that if the proposed emergency generation does not proceed, there is a clear risk that power outages could occur.
An environmental report included with the application to An Bord Pleanala stated: “This would have a significant adverse effect in terms of energy requirements and supply at home, at work, for commercial developments and industry.”