ESB plans to demolish Shannonbridge power station next year
Plans to demolish the former West Offaly Power station at Shannonbridge have been resurrected.
The ESB secured planning permission for the project in early 2023, but the move was put on ice due to the construction and operation of a temporary emergency generation plant on site.
It was believed the demolition work would be deferred until beyond the lifetime of the temporary emergency generation plant on site, to at least 2027, if not later, but the ESB has now indicated its intention to press on with the project in 2026.
The company has issued a prior information notice to notify suppliers about an upcoming opportunity to tender for demolition work.
The ESB said it intends to enter into a contract for the demolition and associated remediations services in two power plants located at Shannonbridge and Lanesborough in Longford.
It is proposed the works will include the removal of all structures, buildings and plant. In Shannonbridge, this would include the iconic 80-metre-high stack.
In 2023, when planning was secured for the demolition work, there was some unhappiness in political circles that alternative users were not pursued for the building.
The West Offaly Power station closed in Shannonbridge in late 2020, bringing the curtain down on 55 years of electricity generation, which began when a 40MW station first went into production in late January 1965.
The existing peat-fired plant was commissioned in 2005 after a €240 million construction project concluded and was closed at the end of 2020.
The ESB, in a statement, said: "ESB submitted planning applications for the redevelopment of West Offaly Power in Shannonbridge and Lough Ree Power in Lanesborough to Offaly and Longford County Councils respectively in 2022.
"These applications, which were subsequently approved, include the removal of the former peat power stations at these sites to accommodate redevelopment of the sites.
"ESB has since installed Temporary Emergency Generation (TEG) at Shannonbridge following a request from the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) for ESB and other industry players to participate in the provision of emergency generation.
"It remains ESB’s intention to carry out redevelopment works at both the Lanesborough and Shannonbridge sites as per the approved planning applications. These works are expected to begin in 2026.
"A specialised study at Shannonbridge has shown that it is possible with some revisions to the specification to remove the buildings while TEG is operational.
"On this basis, an option for West Offaly Power removal was included in the issued Pre-Qualification Questionnaire."