Presenting at the recent Offaly County Council Green Energy Conference was Lara Perri, construction and project management director at Energy Dome, which is partnering with internet giant Google on the development of an energy plant in Rhode.

"A monumental step for Offaly": Council on major Rhode energy plant

Adrian Cusack

Published: Fri 26 Jun 2026, 12:11 PM

Last updated: Fri 26 Jun 2026, 12:15 PM

Offaly County Council has hailed Google's involvement in a major Rhode energy project as "a monumental step" for the county.

Earlier this week, Google and another multinational firm, Energy Dome, announced they were teaming up to develop a long-duration energy storage plant at a former peat-fired thermal power plant site.

The project, a 23MW/200MWh CO2 battery facility, involves the construction of two giant energy domes, each 34 metres in height, on a rural site just 1.2km outside Rhode.

The 22-hectare site for the development is at the Rhode Green Energy Park, in the townlands of Coolcor and Clonin.

The companies involved said it would the first of several such bilateral projects expected to be delivered around the world.

In a statement welcoming the project, Offaly County Council noted it was being co-developed and advanced in direct partnership with local energy infrastructure developer Lumcloon Energy.

The council said this major investment "cements the Midlands as a central hub for clean energy infrastructure and furthers Offaly’s reputation as Ireland's 'green energy county'".

A design image of the planned energy plant in Rhode.

Eoghan Ryan, the council's chief executive, said: "This announcement is a monumental step for county Offaly and the entire Midlands region.

"The continued transformation of a former thermal power site into a state-of-the-art industrial park demonstrates how the region can lead Ireland's transition from fossil fuels to sustainable energy innovation.

"We are thrilled that Google and Energy Dome have chosen Rhode Green Energy Park to pioneer this critical long-duration energy storage solution.

"Mike Vasconcelos Tocchetti and Laura Perri of Energy Dome were valued participants at Offaly County Council’s Green Energy Conference earlier this year, so we are particularly pleased to the see this project progress here.

"Offaly County Council would like to acknowledge the projects’ local developers/owner and operator Lumcloon Energy for their technical leadership, and the North Offaly Development Fund for their unwavering commitment to driving jobs and growth in North Offaly," Mr Ryan added.