The existing Bord na Móna site at Derrygreenagh is ideal for the development of a new gas-fired power station. The proposed power station will consist of two units:
- A flexible, combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) unit of c. 430 MW. The unit would run on natural gas, with distillate as a backup fuel.
- A reserve/peaking open cycle gas turbine (OCGT) unit of c. 170 MW. The unit would run on distillate or natural gas, and would act as a peaking/reserve capacity plant on the network.
Why do we need a gas turbine plant?
We believe that this combination of units offers the best chance of competing in the new Single Electricity Market. With the Government having set a 40% RES-E target for 2020, wind will play an ever increasing role in electricity generation in Ireland in the future. However, the power output from wind turbines is intermittent, varies with the wind strength and does not always match the demand profile. This means that flexible thermal units, with fast response times, will be needed to complement the increasing amount of wind capacity installed on the Irish network.
Combined Cycle Gas Turbine
- This unit will be designed to operate on a 2-shift basis, coming on in the morning as the daily electricity demand increases, running throughout the day, and shutting down in the evening as demand reduces.
- It is expected to run about 5,000 hours per annum.
Open Cycle Gas Turbine
-This unit has an extremely fast response time, and is capable of reaching full output in only 20 minutes.
- It will act mainly as a reserve plant, only starting up to cover peaks in daily demand, rapid drops in wind output or when another unit fails to start as scheduled. It is only expected to operate for a few hundred hours per annum.
Project update:
The Derrygreenagh Power project was granted planning consent by An Bord Pleanála in April 2010. A grid connection application for the project has been submitted to EirGrid, the Transmission System Operator, and work continues to secure the remaining permits required for the development of the project.