Bord Gáis to invest €100m in new Monksland power station

Bord Gáis revealed it is to invest €100m in a major gas-fired power station in Monksland, which was granted planning permission, as part of a €2.5bn investment programme by the board nationwide over the next five years. A spokeswoman for Bord Gáis said yesterday afternoon the company would be developing an electricity peaking plant in Athlone in a joint venture with Mountside Properties called Greener Ideas Ltd. Mountside Properties was granted permission for the power station in Monksland, just behind the Elan plant, late last year. Bord Gáis said it would be one of four 100MW open cycle gas turbine (OCGT) projects (also known as peaking plants) to be developed by Greener Ideas Ltd cross Ireland with a total investment of approximately €300m. "A full assessment of each project is currently underway and timelines for construction are yet to be put in place," a spokesperson said. The spokeswoman explained that these peaking plants were small power stations which are usually located on industrial sites and said they are used to support peak electricity usage. Last year Mountside was granted permission for the construction of a 100 mega watt gas turbine power station. The station will include with a 8.75 metre turbine hall, maintenance bay, 20 metre exhaust stack and air vent. An air cooler, water cooler, power control module and fuel/water tanks are also planned along with an office/workshop. At the moment, the company was unable to say how many jobs would be provided in the development or construction phase.