West Offaly Power Station pictured in years gone by when in operation.

Decision on power station demolition announced

Offaly County Council has granted planning permission to the ESB to demolish the West Offaly Power Station in Shannonbridge.

The decision, subject to compliance with 16 planning conditions, was made on Wednesday, and posted on the local authority website today (Thursday).

While the plant has not been in operation for the last two years, the demolition of the iconic landmark will represent a poignant moment in the history of West Offaly.

The power station closed in Shannonbridge in late 2020, bringing the curtain down on 55 years of electricity generation in the local area.

The village has been synonymous with peat-fired electricity generation since a 40MW station first went into production in late January of 1965.

The decision documents and the content of the planning conditions attached to the approval to demolish the plant have yet to be published on the council website today (Thursday).

There was one submission during the planning process objecting to the power plant's planned demolition.

Plans for the knocking of the plant and the development and operation of a Battery Energy Storage (BESS) and a Synchronous Condenser (Sync Con) on the site were first unveiled by the ESB in May last year.

The ESB has been contacted for comment on the planning approval.