Decision expected on Rhode energy air domes project
Offaly County Council is due to make a decision next week on a plan to construct two giant energy air domes, each 34 metres in height, on a rural site just 1.2km outside the north Offaly village of Rhode.
A planning application by Rhode LDES (Long Duration Energy Storage) Ltd, which is headed by Nigel Reams of Lumcloon Energy, was lodged with the local authority just over a year ago seeking approval for the project on a 22-hectare site in the townlands of Coolcor and Clonin, Rhode.
The proposed development is earmarked for rural lands between Rhode and Rochfortbridge. Part of the subject site was formerly used as a deposition area for peat ash generated by the nearby Rhode Power Station, which was decommissioned in 2003 and demolished a year later.
If given the go-ahead, two large air dome structures will be built on the site of the former Rhode Power Station, along with cooling, compression, pumping and power generation equipment and machinery.
The domes, which will be adjacent to the existing Rhode Energy Park, will measure 550 metres in length, 120 metres in width and will be up to 34 metres in height.
Permission has also been sought for a single-storey storage and control building on the site, along with internal site access roads and connection to existing and consented roads at Rhode Green Energy Park, and an underground electrical cable connection to Derryiron 110kV substation.
The proposed development aims to provide a means of electricity storage, accumulating energy during periods of low demand from the national grid and discharging energy to the national grid during times of increased demand. Each of the proposed energy air domes is designed to hold 1.3 million cubic metres of carbon dioxide.
According to documents submitted as part of the planning application, the facility will “operate unmanned post-construction” except for routine maintenance.
Further information, in relation to the project, was sought by the council from the developers last September.