Tracking energy infrastructure rollout in Ireland

Apogee · 16-12-2024 12:59PM #1

The sole purpose of this thread is to track energy infrastructure rollout/development in NI/ROI. It is not a thread for debating energy policy, the merits of different energy generation technologies or the development of infrastructure/technologies outside of the island of Ireland.

A fairly major development today - the Greenlink interconnector is online:

Celtic Interconnector making good progress - short video on developments over past year

https://twitter.com/EirGrid/status/1861436558710059510

https://cms.eirgrid.ie/sites/default/files/publications/Celtic-Interconnector-Newsletter-November-2024.pdf

ABP grant permission to a 20 turbine/100MW windfarm in Cork

https://www.irishexaminer.com/property/developmentconstruction/arid-41524466.html

ABP also gave the go-ahead permission to a 120MW/92 hectare solar farm in Charleville

https://www.entrust-services.com/50mw-solar-farm-ballyroe-county-cork

Ballylumford power station in Antrim temporarily out of action due to Storm Darragh

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/ballylumford-power-station-energy-production-temporarily-suspended/ar-AA1vrMXq

gjim · 17-12-2024 02:01PM

I really like the idea of this thread - but would it be worth considering expanding the scope a bit beyond Ireland? There's lots of interesting developments globally which helps put the Irish situation in context.

Of course, this would remain dedicated to posting news and statistics only and avoiding any discussion about the merits of various technologies, or personal opinions, etc.

marno21 · 17-12-2024 03:56PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122966490#Comment_122966490

No problem with a third thread for energy developments globally, but this is a thread exclusively for energy infrastructure development in Ireland.

Apogee · 14-01-2025 06:10PM

Eirgrid are planning to install 4 additional synchronous condensers by 2028, and are also testing how quickly flows on the ICs can be changed:

Earlier this year we awarded four contracts for renewable energy integration technologies, called synchronous condensers. They look like a motor with a large flywheel attached.They consume a small amount of power but provide a large amount of inertia.They can provide a certain amount of reactive power as well.” The new condensers will be located in Counties Sligo, Galway, Kerry and Wexford and it is anticipated that all of them will be operational in either 2027 or 2028.
For example, in advance of the new Greenlink interconnector between Ireland and Wales going live, we are running trails to enable us to increase the rate at which the flow of electricity across the interconnector can change. “The current limit is 10Mw per minute and we are running a trial to increase that to 15Mw per minute for the island of Ireland. By allowing the flow to change more rapidly we will enable the interconnector to better capture the market conditions on both sides.” Looking forward, the next key thing we are studying is the impact of moving to 80 per cent renewables on the system. “We are studying the possibility of moving to 80% at the moment and are looking to commence a trial soon.
https://www.irishtimes.com/sponsored/2024/12/19/eirgrid-on-track-to-operate-power-system-with-95-renewable-energy/

The 101MW Yellow River windfarm in Offaly is operational since mid-December:

https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2024/1217/1486903-first-power-generated-from-co-offaly-wind-farm/

https://bsky.app/profile/greencollective.io/post/3ldlj7u5gwc2i

The Rathnaskilloge 110 kV Station was recently connected by Eirgrid to facilitate a future 95MW solar farm:

https://twitter.com/EirGrid/status/1864011791753269520

ESB submitted a planning application for a 100MW/800MWhr BESS at Lanesborough

https://eplanning.ie/ePlan/AppFileRefDetails/2460315/18?localAuthorityId=18

This Irish Times article suggests that ABP will have made a decision on NISA offshore windfarm by February - seems optimistic, given ABP's previous performance. AFAIK neither Dublin Array nor Sceirde Rocks have yet submitted their applications, despite both claiming they would have done so in 2024.

Within weeks, planning applications for the last two of six offshore wind projects will be submitted to An Bord Pleanála. The planning authority is expected to give its verdict on the first, the North Irish Sea Array, being built by Norwegian company Statkraft and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners off north Dublin, in February.

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2025/01/03/will-2025-deliver-breakthrough-on-planning-so-ireland-can-fully-tap-its-wind-energy-gold-mine/

Finally, a Dronehawk video showing progress on the converter station at Ballyadam for the Celtic Interconnector:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWKmFRGd7I0

bk · 16-01-2025 01:40PM

Sceirde Rocks (Galway) 450 MW Offshore Wind Farm submitted to ABP today:

https://www.offshorewind.biz/2025/01/16/corio-applies-for-consent-for-450-mw-offshore-wind-farm-on-irish-west-coast/

Capt'n Midnight · 17-01-2025 11:23PM

https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2025/0117/1491391-wind-energy-ireland-report/ - combined capacity of 717 MW.

12 rejected.

30 projects totalling 1,598 MW were waiting for a decision at the end of 2024. … Wind Energy Ireland estimates that in order to achieve the 9,000 MW of onshore wind energy by 2030 target in the Climate Action Plan, An Bord Pleanála would have needed to approve 1,720 MW worth of wind farms.

Apogee · 27-01-2025 03:37PM

NI Water/Mutual Energy are investigating the feasability of a 3GWh pumped seawater project in Antrim called 'Higher Ground NI'.

https://highergroundni.com/project/

https://www.irishnews.com/news/northern-ireland/1bn-co-antrim-hyrdo-storage-scheme-will-be-norths-single-biggest-energy-project-for-more-than-50-years-KQAS2SGXCNEQDFARE7CRBZHOIA/

Newspaper article above also references the previously abandoned Camlough project:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmCnEOoNbtw

Apogee · 06-02-2025 06:47PM

SSE are pushing ahead with their 300MW OCGT in Tarbert, intended to run on HVO

https://www.sse.com/news-and-views/2025/02/sse-to-build-power-station-in-ireland-running-on-sustainable-biofuels/

Mercury Renewables submitted a planning application in July 2023 for an 80MW electrolyser and 13x turbines rated for 78MW. This was granted by ABP in Nov 24.

https://www.westernpeople.ie/news/major-mayo-sligo-energy-project-gets-go-ahead_arid-41034.html

https://www.pleanala.ie/en-ie/case/317560

A video from Engineers Ireland which has input from those involved in the project design (~38 min mark):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2IByfAPSGk

The proposed LirIC NI-GB 700MW interconnector has been granted a transmission licence:

https://www.current-news.co.uk/liric-interconnector-granted-transmission-licence/

And another video from Engineers Ireland with an update from Eirgrid on the Celtic Interconnector. Includes discussion on the issues associated with linking a small grid to a much larger one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NPn95W8VEw

gjim · 06-02-2025 10:24PM

Bit of a mixed bag there @Apogee

For me:

Interconnectors 👍️
Biofuels 👎️
Hydrogen? Too inefficient to ever make financial sense.

Hotblack Desiato · 07-02-2025 10:29AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123105260#Comment_123105260

They should have taken down an ordinary Mini not a Mini Clubman, bit shorter so easier for the Austin Powers 56-point turn 😁

Has Spirit of Ireland (back in the day) or anyone else ever addressed the issues with pumping saltwater where it shouldn't be? The Romans used to salt the land of their vanquished foes to prevent them growing anything. You don't want salt entering the water table

HVO running a power station when many alternatives exist to generate electricity? No thanks. There's a finite supply of this stuff, it should be used to decarbonise (and reduce pollution) in heavy transport - HGV and rail.

Apogee · 26-02-2025 11:52AM

Dublin Array is expected to submit a planning application to ABP in coming days - the last of the four ORESS1 projects to do so.

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2025/02/26/2bn-dublin-bay-wind-energy-project-to-submit-planning-application/

ORESS-1

Codling

https://www.pleanala.ie/en-ie/case/320768

NISA

https://www.pleanala.ie/en-ie/case/319866

Sceirde Rocks

https://www.pleanala.ie/en-ie/case/321697

Non-ORESS

Arklow Banks 2

https://www.pleanala.ie/en-ie/case/319864

Oriel

https://www.pleanala.ie/en-ie/case/319799

josip · 26-02-2025 12:18PM

When it says on the planning application, "Decision: Case is due to be decided by 02/12/2024" for example, is that the final decision or just a standard 6 months from application date and everyone knows that in reality ABP aren't meeting those deadlines for various reasons?

specialbyte · 26-02-2025 02:12PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123211204#Comment_123211204

Those dates are 100% misleading. Expect each of these applications to take from 12-18 months to be decided by ABP. Then there's an 8 week period before developers have an enforceable planning permission as long as no one takes a High Court action against the permission, which is probably pretty likely on some/all of these projects.

Apogee · 07-03-2025 05:03PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123211113#Comment_123211113

ORESS-1

Codling

https://www.pleanala.ie/en-ie/case/320768

NISA

https://www.pleanala.ie/en-ie/case/319866

Sceirde Rocks

https://www.pleanala.ie/en-ie/case/321697

Dublin Array

https://www.pleanala.ie/en-ie/case/321992

Non-ORESS

Arklow Banks 2

https://www.pleanala.ie/en-ie/case/319864

Oriel

https://www.pleanala.ie/en-ie/case/319799

bk · 18-03-2025 02:14PM

Shannon LNG have gotten approval from ABP for a 600MW Gas power plant and 120MW Battery Energy Storage System:

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2025/0318/1502701-planning-permission-lng/

BTW Looks like a pretty regular gas power plant, not specific to LNG. 3 x 200MW CCGT's (combined cycle gas turbines). I don't think the LNG regasification is part of this application.

dmakc · 21-03-2025 06:57PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123275621#Comment_123275621

Yes a regular gas plant by the same company which proposed the LNG terminal. What strikes me is they have contract for 350MW to the national grid, with the other 250MW intended for data centres on site. Strange approval in light of that, but I suppose the overriding thought was Kerry wants this.

bk · 16-04-2025 02:09PM

The Greenlink Interconnector to Wales has been officially launched, it was in a trial period for the past 60 days:

https://www.rte.ie/news/2025/0416/1507996-ireland-wales-electricity-interconnector/

josip · 17-04-2025 11:34AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123362813#Comment_123362813

Apart from being a photo opportunity for ministers, does anything change now that it's officially launched?

eg. was the official launch dependent on passing a stability period, was the power transferred being billed at full commercial rates up to now, does a support SLA kick in?

Tracking energy infrastructure rollout in Ireland

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